SAFF Cup: Opening day encounters end in draws

New Delhi: A spirited Nepal were unfortunate to be held 1-1 by the Maldives while traditional rivals Pakistan and Bangladesh played out a goalless draw on the opening day of the SAFF Cup football tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday.

Nepal, coached by former Spurs defender Graham Roberts, put on an impressive show. They launched a wave of attacks on the Maldives and dominated most of the game.

Nepal, egged on by some local Nepalese, played a lovely passing game to trouble Maldives.

Maldives went ahead in the injury time of the first half with a left-foot screamer from captain Ali Ishfaq and Nepal equalised six minutes after the breather with a lovely header from Sandeep Rai off Raju Tamang's flag-kick.

Nepal, however, were the better of the two teams and fought relentlessly till the final whistle as Maldives were left defending in the last 20 minutes of the game.

Nepalese striker Rohit Chand, a former HAL player, and midfielder Tamang prised open the Maldives citadel with their defence-splitting passes. Tamang kept testing the Maldives goalkeeper Imran Mohammad with his well directed long rangers.

It was against the run of play that Maldives got the lead after Ashfaq's left footer screamed past the Nepal goalkeeper and the tiny Island nation went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

Nepal didn't have to wait long for the equaliser. Tamang's corner kick sailed into the box and Rai jumped above the crowd to head it home making it 1-1. The goal pepped up the Nepalese team and they went all out in their search for the winner that remained elusive.

Nepal coach Roberts said Maldives were lucky to escape with a point from the match.

"Today we played a great game and I think Maldives were simply lucky to escape with one point. Unlike other British coaches, I like playing the passing game and if we play like this then we can trouble any team in the tournament," he said.

Meanwhile earlier in the day, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the highest ranked (142) team in tournament, played out a dull and drab draw.

Pakistan, who lost to Bangladesh in both the legs of the World Cup qualifiers, made an impressive start by controlling most of the first half but failed to convert the several chances that came their way.

Pakistan came close to opening the scoring in the 24th minute but Faisal Iqbal missed an open net after being set-up by a cross from Jadeed Pathan Khan from the right.

Bangladesh found their bearings in the second half but Pakistan were still dominating proceedings in the midfield.

At the start of the second half, Bangladesh came close but Ariful Islam's header off a corner hit the horizontal and striker Jahid Hussain Ameli tried his best to clear the rebound but could not find the target despite three attempts.

Bangladesh's Macedonian coach Nikola Ilievski said Pakistan were motivated after their loss in the World Cup qualifiers.

"We have a young team and the boys played well. Today Pakistan were motivated after their loss to Bangladesh in the World Cup. The first match is always tough and I am happy with the draw," he said.

Pakistan coach Zavisa Milosavljevich lamented the lack of a finisher in the team.

"It was a difficult match for us. Pakistan created several chances but we couldn't finish them off. But a draw against the higher ranked Bangladesh was good," he said.