After almost a year-long hiatus from international football, Nepali National Football Team is finally set to feature in two international friendlies against Bangladesh National Football Team on November 13 and 17 respectively. The sides have shared some memorable and spectacular moments on numerous occasions, and the upcoming friendlies – the first Bangladesh-hosted ones since 1995 – will be looking to continue the trend.
Nepal hasn’t faced any other side more than Bangladesh in its footballing history with a record 23 times. Bangladesh leads the overall tally, with 13 wins compared to Nepal’s seven and three matches ending on even terms. The 1990s and 2000s were largely dominated by the Bangladesh side that won every single fixture over the span of two decades. In contrast, the 2010s have been favorable for Nepal, losing only one of six encounters.
The first recorded fixture dates back to 1983 when Nepal first played Bangladesh in the regional Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia. Despite a narrow 1-0 win for the Bengal side, both the teams were eliminated from the group stage. It was Nepal’s time to get even when they faced each other once again a year later in the 1984 South Asian Games. Bangladesh thrashed Nepal by a margin of five goals to nil in the group stages. The Nepali National Team had the last laugh, as they clinched their first major honor thumping Bangladesh 4-2 in the final. It was truly an astonishing performance by the Nepali side to bounce back and clinch the title in front of the home crowd.
Embed from Getty ImagesSubsequently, The next two meetings in group stages of the 1986 Asian Games and 1987 South Asian Games both ended with an identical score of 1-0 in favor of Bangladesh and Nepal respectively. The teams then came head-to-head for the bronze medal in the 1991 South Asian Games. Bangladesh emerged victorious by scoring two late goals to win with a 2-0 margin. It then started the long dominance of Bangladesh in this fixture, when they won every single match over the span of 20 years. One of their most famous wins came in 1999. Facing Nepal in the final of the 1999 South Asian Games, Bangladesh came out on top (2-1) putting aside their horrors from the corresponding fixture in 1984.
It took Nepal another 10 years to score a goal against Bangladesh. And there couldn’t have been a more fitting goal to mark the occasion. Yes, the outrageous Sagar Thapa free-kick goal was scored in this very fixture in the 2011 SAFF Championship. The last gasp free-kick from almost near the halfway line to seal the win with the last kick of the match will arguably go down in the history books as one of the great moments in Nepali football history. Another memorable night came in Dashrath Stadium when Nepal beat Bangladesh 2-0 in the opening fixture of the 2013 SAFF championship. It was the start of a memorable journey in the championship, that saw Nepal reach the semi-finals falling short only to the eventual champions Afghanistan by a narrow 1-0 margin.
Next comes the 2016 Bangabandhu Gold Cup – a tournament cherished by every Nepali football fan to date. Although the group stage match between Nepal and Bangladesh had very little in itself to talk about as it ended in a 0-0 draw, it paved the way for Nepal to go on to win the cup in a convincing manner. The triumph brought the first major tournament win in 23 years for Nepal, putting an end to a long and desolate drought.
The sides meet after four years for a couple of friendlies and kick start their post-pandemic preparations. Both the National Teams have not featured in any international match for almost a year. Nepal has only managed a single win since 2018 and hence stands at 170 in FIFA rankings currently, dropping down nine places in the last two years. Similarly, Bangladesh also hasn’t been able to enjoy much success in recent years. With almost an identical win record as Nepal in the last two years, ranking even below at 187.
As the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers have been postponed indefinitely, this fixture will serve up as a warm-up for the monumental task that lies ahead of both teams. Either of the teams could still mathematically qualify for the World Cup but will be needing miracles in order to do so. Whatever the result might be, it sure will entertain, unite and most importantly fill the fans with hope in these unprecedented times.