Kathmandu: A 10-man Nepal suffered a 3-1 defeat against Vietnam marking their third consecutive loss in their Group ‘F’ game of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Binh Duong, Vietnam, on Thursday.

Nepal played with a man-down for the entire second half after midfielder Laken Limbu was shown a straight red card in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Despite finishing the first half 1-1, Nepal conceded two goals in the second half and remained without a point after their third game in the Qualifiers, which are being played in a home-and-away format.

‘Homeless’ Nepal, however, will not have the advantage of playing on home turf as the only so-called international standard stadium – the Dasharath Stadium – has been labelled ineligible to host any FIFA or AFC-sanctioned games by the Asian football governing body AFC.

Nepal will now play their home leg fixture on Tuesday in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

It was the third defeat for Nepal against Vietnam in as many games, following a 5-0 and 2-0 defeat in 2003 during the Asian Cup Qualifiers held in Korea and Oman, respectively.

Vietnam dominated the performance from the starting whistle, kept piling pressure, and took control of the game for most of the time. They kept the Nepali defense line and goalkeeper Kiran Limbu busy throughout the game.

Forward N Tien Linh put the home team in the driving seat in the 10th minute, taking advantage of a sloppy Nepali defense. Defender Sanish Shrestha restored parity against the run of play for Nepal in the 17th.

But the plot changed in the second half after the home team started with a player advantage and managed to restore the lead in the 67th minute through Pham Xuan Manh. Substitute Nguyen Van VI sealed the victory with a third goal in the 72nd minute.

Meanwhile, Kushal Deuba marked his international debut for Nepal, coming on as an 85th-minute replacement for forward Aysuh Ghalan.

Nepal had lost their opening match 2-0 away to Malaysia in March and 2-1 to Laos in June in the four-team group. But FIFA imposed sanctions on Malaysia charging them with fielding ineligible players producing fake documents. The outcome of the game could be reversed in favor of Nepal.

Malaysia are on top of the standings with nine points followed by Vietnam on six points and Laos on three points. Nepal are the only pointless team in the group, with all three teams having played three games each.