SAFF Under-19 Championship: India beat Nepal, to meet Pakistan in final

A nerveless India overcame a sticky Nepal 3-2 through a penalty shootout in their semifinal match

Kathmandu: A nerveless India overcame a sticky Nepal 3-2 through a penalty shootout in their semifinal match here on Wednesday to set up the SAFF Under-19 Championship final against Pakistan.

India will face their arch-rivals in the summit clash on Saturday at the Dashrath Stadium.The match went into tie-breaker after the score stood at 1-1 after the regulation time, which saw both the sides playing some fast-paced football. Sahil Khurshid had put India ahead in the 26th minute but Nepal drew level through a 74th minute strike by Samir Tamang.

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When the score was tied 2-2 in the tie-breaker, Manglenthang Kipgen emerged India”s hero as he coolly slotted the ball in to make it 3-2 and give his side a victory.Apart from Kipgen, the other two scorers for India in the shootout were Arjun Singh Oinam and Gwgwmsar Goyary.

Kipgen joined the action only in the 66th minute as a replacement for Blue Colts” captain Ishan Shishodia. In the first semifinal of the day, Pakistan had defeated Bhutan 6-5, as that match also went in to the tie-breaker.