With the final whistle blown half a minute past the four minutes of added time, the New Laos National Stadium in the capital city of Vientiane erupted in joy. Laos had just defeated Nepal for the first time.

Nepal went down 1-2 to hosts Laos in their second group-stage match of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers—Third Round on Tuesday night. It was Nepal’s second consecutive loss under coach Matt Ross in the qualifiers, while Laos celebrated their first win. On the first match day of Group F, on March 25, Malaysia had defeated Nepal 2-0 and Vietnam had hammered Laos 5-0.

This was the seventh encounter between Nepal and Laos. Nepal, undefeated against the Southeast Asian side and buoyed by a goalless draw against Hong Kong on June 5, entered the match as clear favourites. But Laos refused to be held back by past results. The 25,000-capacity stadium, filled with energetic home fans, witnessed a joyous evening.

Before this match, Nepal had beaten Laos four times, while the two sides had drawn twice.

Nepal first played Laos on May 29, 2016, when they were invited for an international friendly in the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Further, Nepal’s last win was also at Laos’ home on October 17, 2023, which helped Nepal progress further in the qualifier.

The Land of a Million Elephants finally broke the streak on Tuesday night.

Damoth Thongkhamsavath opened the scoring for Laos in the 13th minute with a powerful header from a corner kick. That remained the only goal of the first half.

Just four minutes into the second half, Nepal goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong was beaten again as Peeter Phanthavong, Laos’ No. 7, fired a dipping long-range shot from about 25 yards that slipped beneath the diving keeper, putting Laos 2-0 up.

Phanthavong’s long-range goal encouraged his teammates, and the strikes directly aimed at Chemjong increased. Despite intense pressure, Chemjong’s heroic saves kept the deficit to two. Phanthavong alone nearly completed a hat-trick, with a free-kick in the 66th minute and a one-on-one chance in the 68th, both denied by Chemjong.

Laos created more scoring opportunities, but Nepal also had chances to mount a comeback, notably in the 55th and 87th minutes, with an additional opportunity in the 71st.

After missing a chance in the 71st, Nepal continued to press, earning a crucial penalty following a foul inside the box. Manish Dangi stepped up and converted in the 73rd minute. He left the field celebrating while Kritish Ratna Chhunju waited on the sideline to come on, having been ready before the penalty was awarded.

The penalty might have gone to Anjan Bista, Nepal’s top scorer with 13 international goals, but he had been subbed off in the 63rd minute for Gillespye Jung Karki.

Dangi’s goal reignited Nepal’s hopes, at least for a draw. In the third minute of added time, Nepal even sent goalkeeper Chemjong into the opposition box for a corner, pressing hard for an equaliser. The goal, however, never came.

“We will try our best to bring the team 3 points, despite Nepal being a good team with a higher ranking,” Laos’ South Korean-coach Ha Hyeok-jun said in the pre-match conference on Monday.

Nepal are positioned 175th in Fifa Ranking, 15 places above Laos.

“I believe in the potential of my players as they have improved since their training in Japan,” Hyeok-jun said.

Laos had spent May 24 to June 2 training in Osaka, Japan, a preparation that paid off.

Similarly, Laos’ performance on Tuesday night showed that they were not to be underestimated again.

Nepal and Laos will meet again on March 31 next year for the final Group F fixture. The teams will face each other twice in the group, along with Vietnam and Malaysia, with the group winner advancing to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Nepal will next play Vietnam on October 14, with Malaysia hosting Laos on the same day. Nepal will host all three teams in the second round.

Currently, Nepal, with two losses in two games, are the only team without a point in the group table.