Nepal made a fine comeback in the second half to beat host India 2-1 in the final of the men’s football here at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Monday. The win saw Nepal reclaiming the South Asian Games gold after 23 years.
India found the target late in the first half through Halicharan Narzary before second-half substitute Prakash Budhatokhi got Nepal back in the game by scoring off a free kick.
Budhatokhi was in the thick of things again, sending a fine cross for Nawayug Shrestha, who made no mistake.
In the first half, India showed good organisation in midfield and defence. Sumeet Passi and Udanta Singh were more visible in the Indian attack with their darting runs into the opposition box. .
The host almost scored when Udanta found the net in the 11th minute with a fine header, but the goal was disallowed for an off-side offence. The host missed another chance in the 27th minute to go ahead when Halicharan failed to connect an enticing cross from Udanta. But the sustained attack fetched the lead for the host when Udanta was pulled down inside the box by Nepal defender Aditya Chaudhary. Halicharan made no mistake from the spot.
The results:Final: Nepal 2 (Prakash Budhatokhi 66, Nawayug Shrestha 72) bt India 1 (Halicharan Narzary 32-pen). Third-place playoff: Bangladesh 7 (2) bt Maldives 6 (2).
