KATHMANDU: Nepal national football team manager Madhu Sudan Upadhyaya has tested positive for coronavirus infection in Dhaka.

The Nepali team played a goalless draw in the second match on Tuesday after facing a 2-0 defeat to lose the twomatch series 1-0. The national team is scheduled to return home on Thursday and Upadhyaya returned positive in a mandatory test on Tuesday.

The 35 members of the team will leave Dhaka as per the schedule, while Upadhyaya — who has also shown some symptoms of the coronavirus — will stay back in Dhaka for treatment. Earlier, defender Rajin Dhimal tested positive in Dhaka and he lost the first match. Dhimal, however, played the second match after tests showed negative result. Coach Bal Gopal Maharjan — who was entrusted for the role after national team’s Swedish coach Johan Kalin could not come to Kathmandu due to the pandemic — was forced to fly to Dhaka with eight new faces after seven members tested positive in Kathmandu.

Maharjan also handed debut to six players in the two friendly matches, the first outing for the national team in nine months.