Saff foes Nepal and Maldives will lock horns with each other today in the second semi-final of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup at Bangabandhu National Stadium. The match kicks off at 5:30pm and BTV and Channel 9 will telecast it live.
In-form Maldives will head into today’s last-four clash as the favourites, given their impressive run of form in the tournament so far but Nepal’s defensive performances have also earned a lot of plaudits.
Maldives however, have history on their side as they were victorious against the Gorkhalis seven times in 14 matches while the latter triumphed thrice with the other four matches ending in a draw.
The Red Snappers were the first team to reach the semi-finals in the fourth edition of the eight-nation tournament, beating Bangladesh Under-23 and Cambodia in the group stages before drawing against Bahrain.
In contrast, Nepal might have scored only one goal in three matches but have three creditable clean sheets to their credit.
“It is pleasant that we did not concede any goals in the group stages but we need to improve our attacking third against Maldives, who are technically better with some speedy players,” said Nepal head coach Maharjan on the eve of their clash.
Maldives tactician Ricki Herbert on the other hand is bracing himself for a “tough” contest but expressed hope that his charges will be able to seal a final date with Bahrain, who defeated the Bangladesh senior side in the first semi-final yesterday.
