KATHMANDU: Nepal has lost to Iran in the first match of group B under the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

At the match held at the Central Republican State Stadium at Dushanbe in Tajikistan Monday, Iran beat Nepal by 4-0. The first half had ended in a goalless draw. However, Iran’s Mehdi scored the first goal in the 47th minute of the match.

Similarly, second and third goals were scored by Hossein in 77th and 79th minute respectively. Yasin scored the fourth goal in injury time. With this victory, Iran has collected 3 points in group B while Nepal has not scored any point yet.

Nepal will play Tajikistan in the second match scheduled to be held on Thursday. Nepal has not been qualified for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup yet.

The top in the group will get to play in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup tournament to be held in Uzbekistan from June 1-19 in 2022.