Myanmar, Nepal to face off in Gold Cup final

Published on: 14 February 2019

Bhubaneswar: Myanmar will face Nepal in the Gold Cup final after both registered resounding wins in their final group stage matches at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

Myanmar, Nepal and India entered the day with an equal chance of making the final and Nepal took advantage of their earlier kick-off to pile the pressure on their two challengers.

Nepal, who had stunned host India 2-1 in their Matchday 2 tie on Monday, defeated Islamic Republic of Iran 3-0, meaning India would be eliminated should they fail to beat Myanmar.

Myanmar, having registered wins over Nepal and Iran, proved to be tough opponents as they ended India's bid with a 2-0 win.

India endured a nightmare start as they found themselves trailing after just two minutes with May Sabel Phoo capitalising on a deflection to score Myanmar's first.

The host fought valiantly to find their way back into the tie but there was morer heartbreak at the very end as Myanmar sealed top spot with Win Theingi Tun converting a penalty in the third minute of added time.

Earlier, two goals by the impressive Sabitra Bhandari and another from Anita Basnet secured Nepal a convincing win over Iran, setting the South Asians up for a return meeting with Myanmar in Friday's final.

Myanmar, Nepal to face off in Gold Cup final

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