Nepal suffered a 4-1 defeat against Bangladesh in the final of the 2024 SAFF U-20 Championship, held at the ANFA Complex Ground in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on Wednesday. This loss meant Nepal missed the chance to claim their third title, while Bangladesh secured their first-ever SAFF U-20 championship.
Bangladesh took the lead just before halftime, with Mirazul Islam scoring an impressive free kick following a foul by Niraj Karki. The visitors continued to dominate in the second half, with Mirazul adding a second goal in the 55th minute from close range. Rabby Hussane further extended Bangladesh’s lead to 3-0 in the 71st minute with a strike from inside the box.
Nepal managed a consolation goal in the 81st minute, courtesy of Samir Tamang, but it was too late to change the outcome. Despite multiple attempts during the 10-minute injury time in the second half, Nepal was unable to close the gap.
Earlier in the match, Nepal missed several key opportunities. In the ninth minute, Nirajan Dhami’s long-range shot was narrowly saved by Bangladesh’s Mohammad Asif. Seemanth Thapa’s free kick in the 30th minute went over the bar, and another attempt by Nirajan in the 31st minute missed the target by inches.
Nepal had previously won the SAFF U-20 Championship in 2015 and 2017. For Bangladesh, this victory marked a historic moment as they had been runners-up three times before, in 2017, 2019, and 2022, and finally clinched the title on their fourth attempt.