Nepal defeated Afghanistan 2-0 in their international friendly football match at the Dushanbe Central Stadium in Tajikistan on Saturday, thanks to second half goals from Gillespye Jung Karki and Rohit Chand.

After a goalless first half, Jung Karki gave Nepal the lead a minute into the restart.

Chand doubled Nepal’s lead in the 78th minute pouncing on a poor defending from Afghanistan’s Haroon Amiri as he took control of the ball inside the penalty area and deflected a low drive into the net.

It was Chand’s first international goal for Nepal.

Captain Kiran Kumar Limbu then made a brilliant save in the 87th to deny Amiri’s close-ranged effort to preserve Nepal’s two-goal advantage.

The victory also gave Nabin Neupane his first win as head coach of the national team after the Gorkhalis’ 4-0 loss against Tajikistan at the same venue on Wednesday.

Nepal and Afghanistan were meeting for the first time in 11 years. The two sides last clashed during the SAFF Championship in 2013 in Kathmandu, when the Afghans won 1-0 before going on to clinch the trophy.

Afghanistan does not compete in the SAFF currently as the country left the South Association Football Federation in 2015 to become a founding member of Central Asian Football Association.

Nepal will now participate in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualification, which will take place in March next year.

A total of 24 teams will participate in the third round and compete for the final six spots in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.