“The team we beat in the group stage is the same team we end up losing to in the final.”

Nepal’s U-20 national team head coach Urjan Shrestha had remarked sarcastically about Nepal’s destiny even before the start of the SAFF U-20 Championship.

However, the situation this time is different. In the ongoing tournament in Male, the capital of the Maldives, Nepal have drawn Bangladesh as their opponent in the semifinal. Nepal did not have to play Bangladesh in the group stage; that is, Bangladesh was not in Group ‘A’ where Nepal was placed.

Nepali forward Subash Bam advances with the ball against the Maldives. Photo: SAFF

However, Bangladesh is no unfamiliar opponent for Nepal. In recent editions, it has been Bangladesh that has been stopping Nepal in the semifinals and finals. With the goal of facing that same challenge and changing history, Nepal will take the field on Wednesday at the National Football Stadium in Male.

The match will kick off at 3:45 p.p. Nepal time. “We are fully prepared for the clash,” Nepali team forward Subash Bam has expressed with confidence.

Nepal and Bangladesh have faced each other seven times so far in U-18, U-19, and U-20 competitions. The first meeting between the two teams took place in 2015 at the SAFF U-19 Championship hosted in Nepal itself. In that edition, Nepal registered a 2-1 comeback victory against Bangladesh to reach the semifinal.

In the 11th minute of the match, Bangladesh’s player Rohit had scored to give his team the lead. However, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Academy product Anjan Bista equalized by scoring through a penalty in the 18th minute. The other goal came through an own goal by Bangladesh’s Tutul Hossain Badsha in the injury time of the second half. Currently, both these players have already played for their respective national teams. In that tournament, Nepal had lifted the trophy by defeating India.

Nepali forward Sujan Dangol celebrates by placing his boot on his forehead after scoring against Bhutan. Photo: SAFF

After that, the rivalry between these two teams only intensified. In 2017, in the tournament held in Bhutan under a single round-robin format, Nepal again defeated Bangladesh 2-1. In that edition too, Nepal became champions while Bangladesh were confined to the runner-up position. Although both teams had equal nine points, Nepal successfully became champions for the second time because they had conceded three fewer goals.

Although they did not meet in the 2019 edition, these teams clashed again in the U-20 Championship held in 2022 under the same single round-robin format. In the match, Nepal played to a 1-1 draw with the help of Niranjan Malla’s goal. However, because Bangladesh was placed higher in the points table than Nepal, Bangladesh successfully won the title for the first time.

Since then, these two teams have been frequently meeting in decisive matches. In 2024, in the tournament held at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur, although Nepal beat Bangladesh 2-1 in the group stage, they were defeated 4-1 in the final. Similarly, in the previous edition as well, Nepal were defeated 2-1 by the same team in the semifinal.

Head coach Urjan Shrestha says he has changed his very ‘philosophy’ after the consecutive defeats. “In 2024, despite winning in the group stage, we faltered in the final. But this time, we have changed both our plan and system. We have devised strategy according to the players’ capabilities,” he says.

Nepal is one of the three unbeaten teams in the ongoing tournament. Placed in Group ‘A’, Nepal beat Bhutan 2-1 and Sri Lanka 1-0 while drawing 1-1 with the Maldives. With this, Nepal accumulated seven points from four matches and successfully advanced to the last four as group winners.

A Bangladeshi player celebrates after scoring against Pakistan. Photo: SAFF

In Group ‘B’, India and Bangladesh had accumulated equal 4-4 points from two matches each. However, India finished second due to an inferior goal difference. It is because of this result that Nepal have drawn Bangladesh as their opponent in the semifinal.

17-year-old forward Subash Bam has proven decisive in getting Nepal this far. Declared consecutive ‘Man of the Match’ against Bhutan and Sri Lanka, he has already scored two goals. Bam, who has already played for the senior national team as well, has emerged as a reliable player of the youth team.

On the other side, Bangladesh appear to be heavily dependent on forward Ronan Sullivan. He has played a role in all three goals Bangladesh has scored in the tournament so far. He scored both goals in the 2-0 victory against Pakistan, while he created the opportunity for the goal in the match that ended in a 1-1 draw against India.

There has been widespread interest in Ronan within Bangladeshi football circles. Supporters want to know more about him, having been included in the team at the last moment. Ronan has trained at the Philadelphia Union Academy in the United States. His twin brother Declan Sullivan is also in the team but has not got the chance to play so far.

The Bangladesh Football Federation had released a short video message from the players from the Maldives on Monday. In the approximately 15-second video, Ronan said, “It’s going to be a tough game. We want to play as a team and get the win. But if I can score two goals against Nepal, I think we can get the victory.”

Can Nepal stop Ronan and secure the victory?