KATHMANDU: Nepal will take on defending champions India in the semi-finals of the SAFF U-17 Championship.

The matchup was confirmed after India defeated Pakistan 3–2 in the final Group ‘B’ match held at Colombo Racecourse on Monday.

India, unbeaten in the group stage, topped Group ‘B’ with 9 points. Earlier, they had crushed the Maldives 6–0 and edged Bhutan 1–0. Nepal, on the other hand, advanced as runners-up of Group ‘A’.

The team began strongly by beating hosts Sri Lanka 2–0 but suffered a heavy 4–0 loss to former runners-up Bangladesh in their second match.

Nepal’s semi-final berth was secured after Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 4–0 in the group’s final fixture.

Nepal will now meet India in the semi-final clash on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in the other semi-final, Group ‘A’ winners Bangladesh will face Group ‘B’ runners-up Pakistan on the same day.