Defending champions Bangladesh are set to take on Nepal in the first semifinal of the SAFF U-19 Championship on Friday at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The match is scheduled to kick off at 4:00 PM (BST).
Bangladesh enters the semifinal as Group A toppers following an impressive group stage performance. They opened their campaign with a 2-2 draw against the Maldives and followed it up with a commanding 3-0 win over Bhutan.
Nepal advanced to the knockout stage as the runners-up of Group B. They earned three points from two matches, registering a dominant 5-0 win over Sri Lanka before falling 0-4 to group leaders India.
Bangladesh head coach Golam Robbani Choton expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance and preparation. “By the grace of Almighty, we have successfully passed the group stage. The boys have recovered well and are fully prepared for the semifinal,” he said.
Choton added that the team has used the time after the group stage effectively. “We’ve worked on both our strengths and weaknesses, as well as analyzed Nepal’s key areas during our training sessions.”
While acknowledging Nepal as a strong opponent, Choton remains confident in his squad’s ability and resilience.
The Bangladesh team concluded their final training session on Thursday afternoon at the NERIST Ground in Nirjuli, ready to take the next step in defending their title.
