Football
U-18 football squad trimmed to 30
Head coach Chet Narayan Shrestha said the axed players were promising but still need improvement to make into the national fold.Sports Bureau
All Nepal Football Association on Tuesday trimmed the U-18 squad to 30 as Nepal prepare to compete in the SAFF U-18 Championship to be held from September 20 to 29 in Kathmandu.
The team was trimmed down from the preliminary 46 after a selection match played among the players on Monday. The team also played a friendly match with the U-16 national team on Friday. The final 23-member squad will be announced on the first week of September.
Head coach Chet Narayan Shrestha said the axed players were promising but still need improvement to make into the national fold. Of the 30 players currently in the squad, 12 of them have the experience of competing at the top-tier league. Two-time champions Nepal are placed in Group ‘A’ along with Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan while Group ‘B’ consists of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. Top two teams from each group will book semi-final berths.
Nepal are scheduled to play against Pakistan on September 20, Maldives two days later before wrapping up their group stage campaign with a match against Bhutan on September 24. After winning both the previous editions, Nepal coach is counting nothing less than the silverware. The tournament will be played at the Nepal Armed Police Force grounds in Halchowk.
Nepal Squad
Goalkeeper: Bishal Sunar, Rohit Karki, Surya Adhikari, Pujan Hona
Defender: Bishal Basnet, Randip Poudel, Padam Bhattarai, Ashim Gurung, Sujan Sharma, Nabin Gurung, Roshan Dong, Bishant Basnet, Alik Rumba, Anjan Maharjan
Midfielder: Sishir Lekhi, Dipesh Gurung, Roshan Rana Magar, Rajan Pun, Akash Buda Magar, Rejin Majhi, Jaya Gurung, Manish Thapa, Kushal Phuya, Nitin Thapa
Forward: Brijesh Chaudhary, Sachu Gurung, NirajChaudhary, Kailash Lamichhane, Darshan Gurung, Manish Dangi