Nepal defeated Singapore 1-0 in football friendly

Singapore's national football team suffered a disappointing loss to Nepal in an international friendly match on March 21. The match ended 1-0, with the game taking place at the National Stadium in front of 5,078 fans. This defeat marked Singapore's first loss to Nepal in four meetings. The Singapore Lions, currently ranked 160th in the world, struggled against the 175th-ranked Nepali team. Coach Tsutomu Ogura made several changes to the starting lineup, with only five players from their last match against Vietnam featured. Notably, top striker Shawal Anuar was omitted from the match-day squad. Nepal scored early in the match when Gillespye Jung Karki found the net in the 12th minute following a fast counter-attack. Singapore attempted to respond quickly, but a penalty claim from Harhys Stewart was denied by the referee. Throughout the match, Singapore failed to create significant chances, with most efforts easily handled by Nepal's goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong. Despite multiple substitutions in the second half, Singapore struggled to make an impact. Their best chance came in the 68th minute, but Chemjong saved a close-range shot from Faris Ramli. As the match ended, Singapore's midfield player Shah Shahiran apologized to fans for the team's performance. He promised that they would work hard to improve for their upcoming match against Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifiers on March 25.