India lost 1-2 to hosts Nepal but managed to seal a semi-finals berth of the 2013 Saff football championship at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Thursday.
India will play either Afghanistan or the Maldives in the last four. India finished second in Group A with four points from three matches while Nepal topped the group with seven points from the same number of outings.
In the other match of the day, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh 2-1 to finish on four points. But India pipped Pakistan on head-to-head result to book their berth in the last four.
For Nepal, who were cheered by the home crowd, Anil Gurung (70th minute) and Jumanu Rai (81st minute) scored while Syed Rahim Nabi pulled one back for India in stoppage time (92nd minute) with an impressive side volley.
“We knew Nepal are a very good team. They are quick and have some quality players. They did threaten us but didn’t have clear chances in the first half,” said national coach Wim Koevermans.
“In the second half, we kicked long and it was easy for them to defend.”