Sri Lanka faced a narrow defeat against the tournament hosts Nepal, Losing by one goal to zero in the opening match of the SAFF U-20 Championship 2024.
The game was played at the ANFA Complex in Patan, as the tournament organizers decided to change the venue for the group stage games. Earlier, the games were supposed to take place at Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu. However, the knockout games will now be played at Dasharath Rangasala Stadium.
Nepal started the game on a positive note, quickly advancing into the Sri Lankan 18-yard box from the kickoff. As a result, Sri Lankan goalkeeper Ahamed Shareef was shown a yellow card for a tackle he made just outside the box in the opening minute. The free kick awarded from that incident resulted in a goal, but fortunately the Nepalese player was in an offside position giving the Lankans some breathing space in the opening couple of minutes.
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Continuing their dominance in the first half, the Nepal team created a couple more chances before their attacking midfielder Nirajan Dhami found the back of the Sri Lankan net in the 24th minute to break the deadlock.
The Sri Lankan team found some fluidity in their play in the latter part of the first half, but a lack of communication and poor execution in the final third hindered their chances of scoring.
In the second half, the Sri Lankan team demonstrated some good passages of play. The islanders opted for possession-based football instead of relying on long balls, which was a positive sign for Sri Lankan football. However, they still failed to score or create solid opportunities due to a lack of creativity in the final third
In the final minutes of the game, Sri Lankan midfielder Thenuka Ranaweera was taken off the field after receiving a heavy blow in the 66th minute. Thenuka’s absence will be a significant loss for the upcoming game against Bangladesh on August 20th at the same venue.
