Bhutan’s players celebrate their historic victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo. Photo: M A Pushpa Kumara/EPA

With the historical win in World Cup qualifying match, Bhutan’s journey to the Russia 2018 begins with positive node.

Bhutan’s national football team defeated Sri Lanka by 1-0 on Thursday in Colombo. Bhutan’s midfielder, Tshering Dorji, netted the winning goal in the 86th minute.

“It’s a very happy moment for my life. It was moment that I have been waiting for … it was a precious moment to score, and it was a perfect moment to score the goal,” Dorji said.

Bhutan’s team had undergone a week-long acclimatisation training in Bangkok, Thailand before flying to Colombo for the match.

Second half opened with Sri Lanka’s team playing offensive, possessed ball most of the time.

Bhutan described as the worst team according to FIFA ranking, shocked the world with this win. Before Thursday, Bhutan had only three wins to their name and were beaten 5-2 by Sri Lanka in their last international match, at the 2013 South Asian Football Championships in Kathmandu.

Bhutan’s players celebrate their historic victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo. Photo: M A Pushpa Kumara/EPA

Bhutan’s hope for Russia 2018 World Cup continuous to remain alive with the second win against Sri Lanka at the home ground on Tuesday.

Bhutan scored two against Sri Lanka’s one goal during the second world cup qualifier played at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.

Sri Lankan turned nervous as Bhutan’s striker Chencho Gyeltshen, nicknamed as ‘Ronaldo of Bhutan’, scored the match’s first goal within four minutes.

With the score tied 1-1 late in the game as Sri Lanka equalises at 25th minute, Gyeltshen drove the home crowd to roars of approval when he dribbled away from the goal box in the left corner of the penalty area — only to spin and lash a laser shot that eluded two defenders and the goalkeeper on its way into the near corner. This 90th minute score gave Bhutan a 3-1 aggregate victory over Sri Lanka.

Bhutan dominated second half of the match creating many chances but failed to convert them into goals.

The win puts Bhutan into the Asian group stage, where they’ll gain more international experience as they play for a chance to move another step closer to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Bhutan will now take their place in the group stage, involving 40 Asian teams. They will be joined by East Timor , ranked 185th, who beat Mongolia (195th) 5-1 on aggregate.

FIFA logo

Bhutan has jumped 46 places from the foot of the FIFA rankings to 163rd on Thursday (9 April) after recording their first ever World Cup qualifying victories.

Bhutan had beaten Sri Lanka 1-0 in Colombo and 2-1 in Thimphu last month to advance to the second round of Asian qualifying and, after reaching their highest ranking, will be among the fourth seeds for Tuesday’s draw.

Bhutan was ranked the worst football team in the world and was ranked 209th by FIFA until recently.

Anguilla replaced Bhutan as FIFA’s 209th and lowest ranked international side after losing 8-0 on aggregate to Nicaragua in the first round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying last month.

Bhutan’s win against Sri Lanka had stunned the world. Now the himalayan country is hoping to tie with Japan in the Asian qualifiers. Bhutan’s footballers are good followers of the Japanese stars.

Source: SBS

Hong Kong became the biggest obstacle to Bhutan in its dream for Russia 2018. Bhutan lost to Hong Kong by 0-7 in the qualifying match played at the Mong Kok stadium in Hong Kong on Thursday.

The showers of goals begun when the Hong Kong team bust out the Bhutanese defence and James McKee scoring the first goal on 19th minute.

Hong Kong scored three more goals within next 25 minutes leaving Bhutan’s world cup dream shattered. Goalie Hari Gurung, perhaps was the busiest player on the ground being tested several times throughout the game.

The physical presence of the professional players was getting the best of the Bhutanese defence as three of the first goals in the first half came from a header. He made some crucial saves minimising the damage which otherwise Hong Kong would have scored dozens.

Newly recruited Bhutanese coach Norio Tsukitate had nothing to say but to advise his players that they need more practice and hard work.

Bhutan will take on China on the home ground during the second game of the qualifiers on 16 June.

Hari Gurung (2nd L) of Bhutan catches the ball at World Cup 2018 qualifying match between Bhutan and China at Changlimithang Stadium. AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

Bhutan has lost the second match of the World Cup qualifiers to China on Tuesday.

Bhutan scored none against China’s 6 goals in the second round played in Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.

As a team consisted of amateur players, Bhutan fought hard and showed high spirit in this game. Goalkeeper Hari Gurung denied many shots from the opponents and the score stood at 0-0 near the end of the first half.

It was Yang Xu, who did hat trick, opened the scoring in the injuring time of the first half.

Bhutan did not give up though lagging behind. At the beginning of the second half, Chencho Gyeltshen, launched two threatening shots, making China’s goalie Yan Junling stretch twice.

However, professional Chinese gradually dominated the Bhutanese amateur players and finally Bhutan lost 6-0 at home.

Bhutan, in Group C, will play the Qatar on 3 September and with Maldives on 8 October.

Adelaide Dragon Red with BAASA Executives

Defeating defending two-time champion Adelaide Dragons Red, Cairns Bhutanese Football Club lifted the title for this year’s interstate soccer tournament that concluded on Saturday in Albury.

Cairns defeated Adelaide in final with 2-1 score thus ending Adelaide’s dominance in first two years. Adelaide Dragon Blue came third defeating Hobart. Defending champion Albury-Woodonga could not make it to the final this year.

However, Hobart scored victory in girls tournament defeating Adelaide with 2-0 score. There were 12 boys’ teams and four girls’ teams participating the tournament.

At the conclusion of the tournament, event co-ordinator Ram Khanal thanked everyone for support and participation. I am so relieved and pleased that the fourth Australian Bhutanese Interstate Soccer Championship completed with a grand success. All the players played with much sportsmanship with highest level of respect to the opposition.”

Similarly, president of the Cairns Bhutanese Community Tej Man Rayaka said, “Congratulations boys, you played well deserving game. The victory was already certain. 21 goals in total is a big pride for the Cairns Bhutanese Community Inc. Thanks our team captain, team manager and all the energetic players.”

Next year the tournament is decided to be hosted jointly by Bhutanese Kirat/Buddhist Association of Tasmania (BKBAT) and Bhutanese Community of Tasmania North (BCTN) in Launceston.

Photo courtesy: Bijay Gajmer

Bhutan has lost to Nepal by 3-1 in the inaugural match of the First SAFF U-19 Championship held at in Lalitpur, Nepal.

Bimal Gharti Magar scored a hat-trick and missed a penalty from Nepal’s side.

Bimal, who is also a member of the national team, scored two goals in the first half and added one in the second half to guide Nepal to a convincing win over Bhutan in front of more than three thousand home crowd, while Sonam Tobgay scored a consolation goal for Bhutan in the Group A opener.

Bimal gave Nepal an early advantage in the 10th minute as he scored after beating three defenders of Bhutan.

The joy was short-lived though as Bhutan leveled the score within one minute with Sonam’s goal. Sonam beat goalkeeper Sojit Gurung taking advantage of mistakes committed by Nepalese defenders.

Bimal was back in the spotlight once again as his shot from nearly 25 yards gave Nepal a 2-1 lead in the 30th minute.

Bhutan’s goalie Tobgay saved several shots from Nepalese players thus reducing a damaging loss. Bhutan also missed a perfect chance to take the lead in the fifth minute as Sonam’s shot was denied by Nepali goalkeeper Sojit.

Nepal created numbers of chances in the second half as well but added only one goal.

Bimal completed his hat-trick in the 62nd minute scoring from close range utilising Tej Tamang’s pass from the centre.

Bhutanese coach Chokey Nima appreciated the efforts made by Bhutanese team and praised Nepalese team’s performance and said that his players were not as quick as Nepalese forwards.

“Nepal played good and composed game. Our defenders were not as quick as Nepalese forwards,” he commented.

Bhutan will play its second match against Bangladesh on Saturday.

Photo Courtesy: Goalnepal.com

Bhutan registered yet another loss on Saturday in the ongoing SAFF Under-19 Championship being held in Lalitpur Nepal.

Rohit Sarkar and Mannaf Rabby scored each goal for Bangladesh to trash Bhutan’s hope for semis.

Despite sizeable number of Bhutanese fans in the audience cheering up their country, Bhutan could not register any goal against Bangladesh. Bhutan made a few good attempts to score.

Bangladesh missed a few chances of free kicks.

Taking advantage of the mistakes of Bhutanese defenders, the corner kick by Bangladesh was easily turned into a score by Rohit Sarkar at 42nd minute. Poor performance of Bhutanese defenders continued, possibly nervous, leading another goal by Mannaf Rabby on 44th minute.

With this game, Bhutan is out of the tournament. Nepal and Bangladesh will play on August 24 to decide the group winner.

Bhutan will be facing Qatar in their first game in the World Cup qualifying match on Thursday. Qatar hoping to take full points but Bhutan team is not ready to give as they gather enthusiasm through their recent success in football.

With a 4-0 win over Singapore in a friendly earlier this week, Qatar hopes to dominate the South Asian nation.

This is one of 15 matches taking place today in the joint 2019 Asian Cup qualifying campaign that has minnows and giants clashing but only the eight group winners guaranteed a spot in the second round of Asian qualifying for Russia 2018.

Four-times Asian champions Japan host lowly Cambodia, perennial World Cup qualifiers South Korea welcome Laos, Saudi Arabia, under the guidance of Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk for the first time, take on East Timor, while Asian champions Australia host Bangladesh.

Bhutan has lost to Qatar by 0-15 score as Qatar play first home game of their second round of World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign.

Jose Daniel Carreno’s side maintained their 100 per cent record in AFC Group C with the easiest of victories over the world’s lowest ranked side, thanks to hat-tricks from Ali Assadalla and Mohammed Muntari.

Qatar are under pressure to qualify for Russia 2018, to avoid becoming the first nation since Italy in 1934 to host a tournament without ever having played in the finals when the World Cup is played in Qatar in 2022, but there were no signs of nerves as Mohammed Musa opened the scoring after just eight minutes.

Further goals from Musa, Assadalla, Muntari, Mohammed Kasola and Hassan Khalid made it 7-0 by half-time, and after the break Boualem Khoukhi netted a brace, substitutes Akram Afif and Ismaeel Mohammad both got on the scoresheet, and Khalid scored again to complete the rout.

The only consolation for Bhutan was that this was not their record defeat. They were once beaten 20-0 by Kuwait.

Bhutan had earlier lost to Hong Kong by 0-7 on June 11 and to China by 0-6 on 16 June. Bhutan is now bottom of the group with three defeats and 28 goals conceded.

Future schedule:

Vs Maldives – 8 October
Vs Hong Kong – 13 October
Vs China – 12 November
Vs Qatar – 17 November

Trivandrum International Stadium

Bhutan have been placed alongside defending champions Afghanistan in Group B for this year’s South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, the draw for which was held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Maldives, the champions of the 2008 edition, and Bangladesh are the other teams in Group B while Group A features five-time champions India and last edition’s semifinalist Nepal alongside Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The ninth edition of the regional football extravaganza, which has been branded as SAFF Suzuki Cup, will be held at the Trivandrum International Stadium in Kerala, India from December 23 to January 3.

Even though the current FIFA rankings may give a confusing indication, Group B is believed to be the tougher of the two groups as it features two of the strongest sides of South Asian region — Afghanistan (130) and Maldives (177) — alongside Bangladesh (173) and Bhutan (164).

Some football pandits put Group B as ‘the group of death’. It is very unlikely for Bhutan to make any progress here despite some highlights and progress in world cup race.

Bhutan played 1-1 draw in their 2nd Group A match with Bangladesh at the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers at Bangabandhu National Stadium on Sunday.

Bhutan, which conceded a frustrating 0-7 defeat to Uzbekistan in the group opener on Friday, displayed a spirited football against the home side on Sunday and dominated the match by 1-0- goal till 76th minute.

Defender Sonam Tobgay put Bhutan ahead in the very 6th minute by a placing shot from goalmouth melee utilising a curved low corner of midfielder Nima Wangon (1-0).

Captain Masuk Mia Zoni saved Bangladesh from an embarrassing situation scoring the match equaliser in the the 77th minute by a header, off a curved free kick from Mohammad Ibrahim.

Earlier, in the 17th minute, Bangladesh forward Mannaf Rabbi received a ball in the middle of the box from a long throw of Bishwanath Ghosh, but Mannaf Rabbi’s shot was cleared by Bhutanese captain Choki Wangchuk from the goal line.

Bhutan will play with Sri Lanka on Tuesday which Sri Lanka will take as an opportunity to take revenge for embarrassing lost to Bhutan early this year.

Royal enfield tour to Bhutan 2014

Leading Indian two-wheeler manufacturer Royal Enfield’s Tour of Bhutan ride will start in Siliguri on 10 October. The fourth edition of the Tour of Bhutan will see 30 riders travelling nearly 1,500 km in 12 days.

After being flagged off in Siliguri, the Tour of Bhutan convoy will travel through tourist destinations such as Darjeeling, Phuntsholing, Paro, Thimphu, Phobjikha, Bumthang, Trongsa and Gelephu.

The route map indicates the terrain is challenging enough for the riders to get a dose of off-roading. The ride will pass through mountain roads, ghat sections, slushy off-road trails, water crossings, gravel tracks and forests.

The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production, Royal Enfield, made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield is in forefront in organising planned rides for its customers. Apart from the Tour of Bhutan, the Chennai-based manufacturer conducts international rides to Nepal and Tibet.

Photo: Wikipedia

Bhutan faced yet another crushing defeat from China at the 2018 World Cup Qualifying match on Thursday.

China hammered 12 unanswered goals as the bigger dragon ramped up their World Cup qualifying hopes with their biggest win in 15 years.

After Mei Fang’s 10th-minute opener, Yang Xu hit four including a penalty and Yu Dabao, Yu Hanchao and Wang Yongpo all bagged braces as China ran riot.

The pain didn’t finish until two minutes from time for Bhutan when Zhang Xizhe grabbed the 12th and last goal.

The 12-0 win heaped further embarrassment on Bhutan, the remote Himalayan kingdom known for its Gross National Happiness index, after they also lost 15-0 to Qatar earlier in qualifying.

After five games in their first appearance in round two, Bhutan lies bottom of Group C with zero points and a goal difference of minus 42.

Game logo

Bhutan has made a loosing start at the 12th South Asian Games in the opening group A men’s football game held at the Nehru Stadium in Guwathi, India on Sunday.

Nepalese striker Nawayug Shrestha scored a hat-trick as Nepal defeated Bhutan 5-0.

Nepal took lead in the game in the 33rd minute as Shrestha nodded his first goal of the match followed by midfielder Bishal Rai scoring second to end the first half with 2-0.

Bhutan remain paralysed to the attacks of the strong Nepalese team. Nepal’s midfielder Anjan Bista scored third score in the 51st minute and Shrestha in 76th and 85th minutes.

Bhutan were reduced to 10 men for the final eight minutes of the game as Dorje was given a red card for reckless challenge.

Bhutan will play their second match against Bangladesh on February 9.

By end of February 10, Bhutan stands in the seventh position of the medal tally at South Asian Games 2016 being held in India.

The national archery team has won so far five medals, including one silver. The country has not won any gold so far.

Additionally, in what was one of their top performances so far by the national football team, the under-21 Dragon Boys managed to hold the Bangladeshi team to a 1-1 draw.

The fate of the Bhutanese team will be decided after the game between Bangladesh and Nepal on February 11. If Bangladesh wins the match, Nepal and Bangladesh will qualify for the semi finals. However, if Nepal wins with a goal difference of five or more, Bhutan play in the semi finals.

Similarly, in athletics, both the athletes in the men’s 100m and 800m sprint came last at the Indira Gandhi Athletics stadium in Guwahati.

Bhutan will be playing defending champions Bangladesh in one of the two opening day’s matches of the South & Central Zone of the AFC Under-14 Girls’ Regional Championship beginning on April 23 in Tajikistan capital Dushanbe.

Bhutan is in Group-A of the South and Central Zone along with hosts Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and Bangladesh while Group B team consists of the Maldives, Iran, Sri Lanka and India.

Bhutanese women’s national basketball team picked up their first international win by defeating Bangladesh 61-29 at the first South Asian Basketball Championship (SABA) in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 1.

That is yet another attempts of muscle flexing by the tiny Himalayan kingdom that is doing well in sports in recent year, including in football.

The women’s team played four games of which they lost three, including one with Maldives for Bronze medal, yet this first win in international match boosted their moral for further improvement and dedication.

In the finals of the SABA championship, Sri Lanka defeated the host team Nepal 73- 49 to win the title at the championship.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is organizing various sporting events for refugees in Nepal to celebrate the first-ever participation of a refugee team in the Rio Olympics.

“As the world cheers on Team Refugees in the Olympic games, we are pleased to commemorate the spirit, strength and resilience of refugees in Nepal,” said UNHCR Representative Kevin J. Allen. “We stand with refugees as they overcome diversity and achieve victories – both on the playing field and in everyday life.”

Ten refugee athletes from four countries are competing as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero. Among them are two swimmers from Syria, two judo competitors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and six runners from Ethiopia and South Sudan.

On Saturday, 13 August, the UNHCR office in eastern Nepal is organizing a 7.5 kilometer mini-marathon, which will include the participation of Bhutanese refugees and local Nepali residents.

Similarly, on Thursday, 18 August, sporting events including football, athletics, badminton and table tennis are being organized amongst the refugee and local communities in Kathmandu to celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship and diversity.

The sports activities coincide with the launch of UNHCR’s “With Refugees Campaign” – a global call for action to ensure that every refugee child gets an education, that every refugee family has somewhere safe to live, and that every refugee can work and learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

The signatures of support collected from the campaign will be presented to UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Refugees and Migrants on 19 September in New York.

Since late 2007, UNHCR in Nepal has helped more than 104,000 refugees from Bhutan start new lives in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The agency also carries out a range of protection and assistance programmes for some 14,000 refugees from Bhutan in the Beldangi and Sanischare camps in eastern Nepal.

UNHCR’s work in Nepal also includes providing protection and assistance to around 15,000 Tibetan refugees, 550 urban refugees of diverse nationalities and helping find solutions for people without access to citizenship certificates.

Bhutan lost to India’s new football team 3-0 in an unoffical friendly palyed in Thimphu this week. India scored three within the first 21 minutes.

A goal each from the two strikers Sumeet Passi and captain Jeje Lalpekhlua, and another from Halicharan Narzary within the first 21 minutes were enough for a new-look Indian football team to romp Bhutan.

The dominance was totally one-sided, from Indian team. However, Bhutan team performed very well in the second half of the game, forcing Indian team away from goal post. The Indian team failed to add to their tally despite Bhutan being reduced to 10-men for the last 36 minutes. There were chances and once Jeje’s shot even hit the inside of the bar and bounced back.