India hold Nepal to reach Round 2 of Russia ’18 qualifier

KATHMANDU: India held Nepal to a goal-less draw in their 2018 Fifa World Cup football qualifying Round One second leg match to advance to the next round on 2-0 aggregate here.

India, who had beaten Nepal 2-0 in Guwahati on March 12 in first leg, sat back, opting to avoid conceding a goal at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium.

India were put under severe pressure by the Nepal, particularly in the second half, but came out unscathed.

India’s defence, marshalled by captain and goalkeeper Subrata Paul, put up a disciplined performance to thwart a spirited Nepal attack.

Englishman Stephen Constantine thus begins his second stint as India coach on a happy note but a tough road lies ahead. India and other five Round One winners will join the 34 highest-ranked teams of the continent in the second round.

BHUTAN RISE

The Himalayan kingdom ranked rock bottom in world soccer spirited another improbable win on Tuesday to reach the second round of World Cup qualifying.

Lying 209th in Fifa’s rankings, Bhutan proved last week’s 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in Colombo was no fluke with a 2-1 victory in the return leg in capital Thimpu.

The tiny nation had allowed workers to leave early to catch the game, and the Changlimithang Stadium was packed to witness the heroics. Chencho Gyeltshen set the hosts on their improbable path in the fifth minute and fired in the second at the death to ensure only a fifth ever win for a side who were once beaten 20-0 by Kuwait in an Asian Cup qualifier.