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Oman National Football team arrives in Nepal

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Oman National Football Team arrived in Nepal to play Nepal in the second leg of the world cup qualifiers. Nepal lost the first leg 0 - 2 playing in Oman.

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Wish all the Best For Nepalese and Oman Team Nepal faces Oman today

 

 

 

BY AVASH BHANDARI

 

 

KATHMANDU, Oct 27 - Ganesh Thapa was on the field as a player when Nepal played a goalless draw against Malaysia in 1985, its last home game in the World Cup qualifiers and that was for the 1986 Mexico World Cup.

Time has changed a lot since. Thapa is now the president of Nepali football's governing body All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and Twin Towers of New York and Berlin Wall are no more. However, nothing sensational has happened in Nepali football except a gold medal in Dhaka South Asian games of 1993 beating India 4-3 in the tiebreakers.

 

Nepal will play Oman at the Dashrath Stadium Sunday trailing the match by two goals from the start. Nepal lost the away leg 2-0 20 days earlier in Muscat. Coach Shyam Thapa, who has already decided to step down from the job, has already said it is very tough to get a win against Oman. "Our ambition is to get a draw and the players will repeat their brilliant performance of the first leg," says Thapa. "I am totally convinced that they will give a real fight," he adds.

 

This might be Thapa's last game in charge and he will surely like to bid adieu on a high. "We have studied their game from the match video of the first leg and we can capitalize on their weaknesses. We have home advantage and if the supporters get behind us from the kick off to the final whistle, you never say never in football." Thapa has also asked Nepali fans to support the team in all highs and lows during the match. "An early goal is the key to success for us and we can overcome the deficit if we strike early in the match," the coach adds.

 

Nepal will be playing in a rather strange 4-2-3-1 formation with Nirajan Rayamajhi the lone spearhead up front. Rupak Raj Sharma, the then skipper of the police team, captained Nepal in the last home match in the qualifiers against Malaysia. History is repeating itself as present police team captain Rakesh Shrestha is captaining Nepal for the second time.

 

"I have always had a dream of playing for Nepal as a captain and I finally got this chance though it is in the twilight of my career," Shrestha says. "We will put up a real fight against mighty Oman and won't give up easily," Shrestha adds. Shrestha also praised the upcoming youngsters in Nepali football and said the Nepali international football is moving in the right direction though domestic football is going through a crisis.

 

Today's game will be Nepal's 22nd international match at the Dashrath Stadium. Nepal will certainly love to add another one to its eight wins at the stadium. Nepal has lost 10 and drawn three in this 18,000-capacity stadium. Nepal's history against Oman too is not that pleasing to go through for the supporters and players alike. Nepal has lost all eight matches played against Oman conceding a whooping 33 goals and replying only once.

 

Omani team coach and former Argentine international Gabriel Calderon is not expecting today's match against Nepal to be a walk on the park. "Nepali team is defensively solid and there are some really hard working players as we saw in the first leg back home," Calderon says.

 

The Omani team was severely criticized by its domestic media after its rather unconvincing 2-0 win but Calderon is not worried at all by the media. "For me the performance of my team on the field matters the most and not what the media says. So, I'm not pre-occupied by the media pressure."

 

Calderon is not expecting a hostile but rather friendly Nepali crowd who will be witnessing Nepal's home match after quite a long time.

 

So, the Omani team with Argentine connection will show Nepali fans some South American flavor that even Nepali striker Nirajan Rayamajhi praises Omani team for.

 

 

 

Posted on: 2007-10-27 20:27:12 (Server Time)

Source : Ekantipur

Edited by kslsanjeeb9

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Nepal should win this game... indeed Khum gurung who happens to be my friend has recently joined a national team... with the help of good midfielders like khum gurung... oman will be lost in middle of nowhere..... the score should be 3.0 by nepal..

 

congratulations to nepal national team... kta haru glucose khayera khela hai....... sarkar le nadiya ma dinchu....

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