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Kathmandu, August 17. Nepal beat Bhutan in the semi-final of the U-20 SAFF Championship in Kathmandu last week. Goalkeeper Ziarat Seh Nayak He also saved two penalties from Bhutan in the penalty shootout and scored the decisive penalty.
“As soon as the game went to penalties, I knew we were going to win. “When I scored the first penalty, I knew what kind of penalty they were going to take, and then it became easier for me,” Ziarat said.
In the final, Nepal lost to Bangladesh 4-1 and was stripped of the title.
Ziarat was the goalkeeper when Nepal lost to India in the semi-final of the SAFF U-19 Championship in Kathmandu last year.
Ziarat saved two penalties, but Nepal lost to India 3-2 after three players missed penalties and failed to advance to the final. Ziarat, who was captain at the time, was frustrated after the defeat. This time he was satisfied after defeating Bhutan in a penalty shootout.
I was the captain then. This time I also got the armband for saving a penalty in the semi-final. I said I could save that time, but I will save it this time, “he said.
After that game, Ziarat was called the penalty hero by many people. Ziarat was 5 feet 7 inches tall, which was short for a goalkeeper. But he handled the post very confidently and saved the penalty.
Nepal’s U-20 team has been training for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers to be held in Chinese Taipei. “We have to work harder for the AFC. What we learn here should be well adopted,” Ziarat said.
My brother, a football player, once said – don’t be a goalie
Ziarat, 20, from Dhangadi, has loved football since childhood. His brother Amanat is also a football player. Amanat Bhai plays for C-League club Raniban FC and wants to be a football player too. But he doesn’t like goalkeepers sitting.
Ziarat was usually the goalkeeper. “Don’t be a goalkeeper, you used to say play in the middle, but I was the goalkeeper so my brother couldn’t see me,” Ziarat recalled.
Amanat advised him not to be a goalkeeper because of his brother. He also played as a midfielder many times as requested by his brother. But he wanted to be a goalkeeper and his friend also told him to be a goalkeeper.
Dai Amanat at the school sports meet at Navadurga English Boarding School
The goalkeeper stayed and his brother played in midfield. But Ziarat didn’t get many chances in midfield.
“I was a goalkeeper in the district league when I was 12. Then my elder brother said goalkeeping is the game,” said Ziarat. Ziarat performed well in the district-level league held in Dhangadi in 1973. Then he started goalkeeping training. After performing well outside the district, Philip Tamang of Dhangadi brought him to Kathmandu.
C-League Opportunities
Ziarat was 17 years old when he first came to Kathmandu. After arriving here, he played for Manohara United in the C-League. He got a chance in 6/7 games, and then another club changed to another goalkeeper.
Ziarat once again returned to Dhangadi. Although he was back home, he continued to play football in the far west. During that time, this happened to footballer Ashish Shrestha. Ziarat’s younger brother Amanat was playing in the second division league in Kathmandu. After knowing that he was Amanat’s brother, Ashish brought Ziarat to Kathmandu. “They say that everyone’s success is due to someone, but I feel that I am here because of Ashish Dai,” Ziarat said.
With the help of Ashish, Ziarat tried out for the then B-list club Kumarta in 2078. “When the other two were working as caretakers, they called me. He asked me about money. I asked for a lot. They said they would send me back, but they didn’t let me go,” Ziarat said.
After that, he informed through Ashish that he would play for less money and join Humalta as the third goalkeeper. In Humalta, after Birendra Saru Magar and Sandesh Gurung, it was Ziarat’s turn. But Ziarat got a chance to play after the first goalkeeper Birendra fell ill.
“In the first game, I played against the Church Boys United. We lost 0-2 in that game,” Ziarat said of his B-grade debut. After the first game, Ziarat was restricted to the bench. But the performance of the first and second goalkeepers was not good.
In the last five games of the season, coach Vishnu Gurung gave Ziarat a chance. “Even though we were completely behind because we were behind in the standings, we still had a very good motivational coach. He played me in the last five games left and we were lucky to get promoted to the First Division,” Ziarat said.
After the match, Ziarat was praised. “The third goalkeeper also did a great job and that’s what got us into the A grade,” he said.
At the age of 17, Ziarat learned a lot while training under Vishnu Gurung. Since then, he has not looked back. “He still inspires me,” he said.
While preparing for the Hemza Gold Cup in Kumartar, Ziarat learned that the U-20 qualifiers were coming up. He returned to Kathmandu and participated in the qualifiers for the SAFF U-20 Championship. “I did everything well and I knew I would be selected based on the tournament,” he said.
In 2022, he played in the U-20 Championship. Ziarat then played in the A-League with Humalta. After the league, he again played as captain in the U-19 SAFF Championship in Nepal. After that, he also played for Kathmandu Razors in the Nepal Super League in Group C of the Nepal Super League. Ziarat did not play that season.
This year, Ziarat played his last tournament in his age group at the U-20 Championship. He was saddened that he failed to win the title. “It was my last tournament in my age group. I wanted to win a title in my age group in my career but it didn’t happen,” he said.
Desire to play for the national team
In 2022, coach Vishnu Gurung said Ziarat “should be the second light” when playing for Khumaltar FC in the B-League. Ziarat also hopes to play in the national team jersey.
Goalkeeping is a position that has seen few opportunities. Kiran Chemjong impressed and also saw the patience of the other goalkeeper, Vishal Shrestha.
Vishal Dai played for the national team even though he was on the bench for 10 years, even for 10 minutes. I also have the patience, desire and determination to play for the national team one day,” he said.
Photo: Chandra Bahadur Ale.
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