India Crushes Nepal 4-0 in SAFF U-19 Group Decider – Nepal to Face Bangladesh Next

It wasn’t Nepal’s night in the final Group B match of the SAFF U-19 Championship — not by a long shot. Facing off against hosts India at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Arunachal Pradesh, our boys suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat on Tuesday.

Both teams had already sealed their spots in the semi-finals by beating Sri Lanka earlier, so this match was all about who’d top the group. India, clearly not in a generous mood, dominated from start to finish and took that top spot without breaking much of a sweat.

India struck twice in each half. Rohin Singh opened the scoring in the 27th minute, and before Nepal could regroup, Ommang Dodum doubled the lead in the 28th. Second half? Same story. Rohin bagged his second goal in the 76th minute, and Dani Mithei finished the job in the 84th.

Final score: India 4, Nepal 0. Ouch.

With this win, India ends the group stage undefeated with 6 points from 2 games. Nepal settles for second place with 1 win and 1 loss — still enough to move into the semis.

Up next, Nepal will face Group A winners Bangladesh — the defending champions. No pressure. Meanwhile, India gets Group A runners-up Maldives, who drew 2-2 with Bhutan to sneak into the semis. Bhutan and Sri Lanka? They’re packing their bags.

Let’s hope Nepal bounces back big in the semis.