Kathmandu, Sept 26.
Nepal’s hopes in the SAFF U-17 Championship 2025 came to an end after suffering a 3–0 defeat to defending champions India in the semifinals on Thursday. Despite an improved performance, Nepal failed to find the finishing touch and bowed out of the tournament.
The match, played at Colombo’s Racecourse Ground in Sri Lanka, remained goalless in the first half. However, India shifted gears in the second half and dominated with three decisive goals.
Gunleibya Wangkherakpam opened the scoring in the 61st minute, before Ajlan Sah doubled the lead in the 80th. Deep into injury time, Diamond Singh struck India’s third to seal the comfortable win.
While Nepal had moments of pressure against their rivals, they could not convert their chances into goals. With this loss, Nepal’s campaign officially ended in the last four.
India, the defending champions, advanced to the final where they will face Bangladesh in a repeat of the previous edition’s title clash. The final is scheduled for Saturday.
Earlier on Thursday, Bangladesh booked their spot in the final with a 2–0 victory over Pakistan. Najmul Huda Faisal scored in the 3rd minute, and Opu Rahman added another just two minutes later. Bangladesh held on to the early advantage until the final whistle.
