After a goalless first half, the light rainfall that started with the beginning of the second half energized the physically stronger and goal-hungry home team and it finally took the lead four minutes after the interval.[break]
´The first half was below par. Everybody played individual game and were in a hurry to score. But the team played well in the second half and also gained confidence,´ said Nepal"s coach Bal Gopal Maharjan. ´Bhutan was better than my expectations and we also missed three open chances in the first half.´ Maharjan also said that rainfall in the second half might have worked in their favor.
Skipper Thapa Magar also held a similar view. ´There was no proper teamwork in the first half but it was better in the second half. May be we could not play well as it was our first match.´
Nepal will meet Afghanistan in its next match on Monday.
Gharti Magar, who has already made his national team debut, broke the deadlock from a crowded box four minutes after the break as he struck home a goal-line clearance by Choki Wangchuk in Thapa Magar"s corner.
Skipper Thapa Magar doubled the tally in the 57th minute unleashing a powerful shot from the edge that entered the net taking a deflection off custodian Anup Ghaley"s shoulder. Gharti Magar made it 3-0 in the 62nd with a free bouncing header in substitute Bikash Thapa"s cross. He completed his hat-trick a minute later with a low strike from the danger zone after being set up by Shiva Subedi.
The home team was 5-0 up in the 76th minute as skipper Thapa Magar converted Ravi Bhandari"s pass from the danger zone for his second goal. Nepal added a sixth two minutes later when Shiva Subedi, a 48th minute replacement for Anjan Bista, sprinted with the ball from the center and beat custodian Ghaley in a one-on-one situation to score from the danger zone.
Thapa Magar completed his hat-trick in the 84th minute of the match to seal an emphatic win for the home side. Thapa Magar"s corner kick from the right entered the net after landing in the danger zone.
Bhutan"s coach Kazunori Ohara said, ´We could not come back in the match after conceding the first goal.´ He described the home team as a well-coordinated side with good physique. He also praised Nepal"s skipper Thapa Magar.
Earlier in the first half, Nepal created as many as eight chances and missed three in one-on-one situations. Anjan Bista wasted two chances in one-on-one situations and Gharti Magar missed one. In the 52nd, Bikash Thapa hit the woodwork.
Afghan, Pak share points
Defending champion Pakistan was held to a 0-0 draw in another match of Group A played at the Physical Training and Sports Complex (Army ground), Lagankhel.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan are placed in Group A. Group B consists of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Afghanistan will lock horns with the home team on Tuesday while Pakistan will meet Bhutan.
India is scheduled to face Sri Lanka at the Army ground on Tuesday.
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