Kathmandu, March 26 -- Nepal's AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers' third round campaign begins with a defeat as they lose 0-2 to Malaysia on Tuesday night in their first game of the round.

Before taking on Malaysia, the Nepali team and their new head coach Matt Ross were in high spirits as they had defeated Singapore 1-0 only four days ago.

"We will be playing for three points, and if it becomes one, we can be satisfied," Ross had said in the pre-match conference on Monday. However, Ross and his team ended their stay in Malaysia without a single point.

Nepal conceded the first goal in the 29th minute with Hector Hevel scoring it. The second goal came in the second half as Malaysia used a training ground move during a free kick in the 70th minute...