Nepal against Bhutan, which is on the progress path

It is heard in Nepali football today that there are so many football fields in Bhutan that Bhutan's grip on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is getting stronger. There is a lot of jealousy in it, but less desire to learn from it.

In the first semi-final of the SAFF U-20 Championship on Sunday, these two teams Nepal and Bhutan are facing each other. Indeed, one can hear many stories about the rivalry between Nepal and Bhutanese football. As for the results of the semi-finals, that will be another story. The second semi-final will be held on Monday. India and Bangladesh will compete in it. India will be the defending champions. Do you remember who India defeated in the final of the last edition of the tournament?

It was none other than Bangladesh. So this game will have a sense of revenge. There is no more confusion and uncertainty about the tournament as it was initially due to the ground position of the Dasharath Stadium. The tournament has reached the knockout stage at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato. As long as football gains momentum on the field, victory is the game. What will happen next in the most important competition of South Asian football, will depend on the football of this region for the next few years.

Now let's look at all these backgrounds, what are the four teams that have reached the semi-finals:

Nepal

In a sense, it was not difficult for Nepal to win group 'A'. On the other hand, while winning this group, there were many problems in the team. Nepal first defeated Sri Lanka 1-0, then won 2-1 against Bangladesh. Especially in the match against Bangladesh, Nepal scored two goals in the beginning. After that, he played under pressure. The Bangladeshi team forced Nepal to play with fear. One obvious reason for this was, Nepal could not maintain its control over the ball.

is the coach of the Nepali team, Urjan Shrestha. He is often seen in a cheerful mood while talking to the media. They can laugh back at the same result. This coach also seriously says, "We were under pressure against Bangladesh." Therefore, his next effort is to play by correcting the weaknesses in the Nepali team. Since the semi-final tie was decided, he has watched both the Bhutan games carefully. One of the team has prepared a blueprint.

Based on that, he gathered his players on Saturday and explained the theoretical side. Before that, he said, 'Until we can win something concrete, we will not make big claims until then.' Therefore, we cannot consider this Bhutanese team as an easy opponent.

Bhutan

The coach of the Bhutanese team is Hideharu Takahashi from Japan. Whenever he appears before the media, the first thing he says is that his English is not good. In many ways it is difficult to understand exactly what he is saying. But ever since Japan started providing technical support to Bhutanese football, the level has been climbing. It is not so difficult to understand. Bhutan reaching the semi-finals is an example of that. Bhutan finished runners-up in Group 'B'. The victory against Maldives took the team to the semi-finals.

India was also made difficult by Bhutan. The strongest aspect of the Bhutanese team currently playing the tournament is that the team looks technically strong. The lesson is taught like a 'text book' of football, according to which they play by giving a series of passes. In that sense, watching the game of the Bhutanese team is fun. What coach Takahashi said is that his team has already reached the semi-finals, the next goal is to go further than that.

For that Bhutani has to cut it, Nepal's challenge is. The match is set to take place against the backdrop of Paro FC defeating Church Boys in the AFC Challenge League. Earlier, the clash of the national teams between the two countries also ended in a draw. Here the words of Bhutanese captain Pema Zangpo have to be heard again. He said at the beginning, 'Bhutan did not come to Nepal just to play.' . Therefore, India is the two-time defending champion of this tournament. India also won Group B easily. Well, the team was feared to be out of the tournament in the game against Maldives. Among the teams that reached the semi-finals, India is the team that scored the least.

If you don't forget, India is the only team that hasn't scored a goal. India managed to keep a clean sheet in both the matches of the league stage. Equal one-goal wins against Bhutan and Maldives. Apart from a few occasions, India's defense has looked strong. Yes, India's attack has not been decisive. Looking at the continuous attack, the level of the Indian team seems to be one step ahead. There is a certain maturity in Indian players.

Coach Ranjan Choudhary says, "Definitely we have not scored many goals, we will correct that and play now." Choudhary is a very experienced coach. He has seen many teams in Indian domestic football. Based on his experience, he said, "This time, all the four teams that will reach the semi-finals are good, there is no doubt about it." We also consider Bangladesh as a strong opponent.''It is written in his football theory, the game is played to win, so one should be aggressive.

Bangladesh

Among the 6 teams that played in this tournament, Bangladesh has brought the most experienced players who have played for the national team. Captain Mehdi Hasan Srabon has played for Bangladesh on more than one occasion, apart from that he is a player of Bashundhara team. It is strange that due to his mistake, Nepal scored the first goal against Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi team also went through a problem. Due to the political changes that took place there, the team could not practice and train much.

So there is a problem with the fitness of the players. However, coach Maruful Haque is extremely positive. He has also seen the national team of Bangladesh. He is a coach who has won more than a dozen titles in Bangladesh domestic football. He is very diplomatic. He says, 'I am satisfied with the way our team has played so far. There is room for the team to do better.'

He had said before India's opponent in the semi-final, 'Now who we will play in the knockout stage is not a big deal. In order to win the title, the team has to beat every team they face. The Bangladeshi team will also try to do the same. One thing that cannot be missed is that the team is very enthusiastic because of the political changes in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi team wants to bring this enthusiasm to the football field as well.