Jul 26, Kathmandu: In the first match under SAFF Championship football under the age of 20. Nepal took a 3-0 lead against the Maldives. As the 62 minutes of the first match of the tournament continued in Bhubaneswar, India, Nepal was ahead by 3-0.

In the 61st minute of the game, after the Maldivian player fouled the Nepali player inside the D-box, Nepal got a penalty. Nepal increased the lead after Kritish Ratna Chunju scored in the penalty shootout.

Before that, Nepal's Sugam Suwal scored a goal in the 57th minute. Suwal took advantage of the weakness in the Maldives' defense and scored a goal. Before that, Nepal's Abhishek Waiba scored a goal in the 41st minute of the game. The ball from the free kick was rebounded by the goalkeeper, and the shot by Waiba outside the box turned into a goal.

Earlier, Nepal had missed many opportunities. Most of the time of the game, the ball was seen on the feet of the Nepali players. Along with host India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are participating in the championship. Nepal will play Sri Lanka in the second match on Wednesday.

Similarly, the third match will be played against India on Sunday, while in the last match of the group, they will face Bangladesh on Tuesday. The top two teams in the league stage will compete for the title.