Bangladeshi girls clinch 6th SAFF U16 title

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 11: Bangladesh defeated India 3-2 in penalties to win the 6th SAFF U16 Women’s Championship at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on Sunday.

It is the second SAFF U16 Women’s Championship title to Bangladesh, winner and host of the first edition of the tournament in 2017. Bangladesh, playing four matches (including the final), also remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

Bangladesh was expected to win the final against India easily as Bangladesh defeated India 3-1 in the duo’s group-stage confrontation on March 5. However, India took the match to penalties and made it a competitive final.

India led first in the final as Anushka Kumari scored the first goal of the match in the final seconds of the fifth minute. Then, India secured the one-goal lead until the first 45 minutes.

Failing to equalise in the first half, Bangladesh scored the first goal in the 70th minute. Mariam Binta Hanna was the scorer as she converted a corner kick by substitute Ananna Murmu Bithi.

Two times SAFF U16 Women’s champions India (2018 and 2019) and Bangladesh then failed to score any more until the four minutes of additional play after the end of 90 minutes. With the match ending in a 1-1 draw, the game was taken to penalties.

Nail-biting penalties 

Bangladesh’s Sauravi Akanda Prity was the first to shoot in the penalties. However, Prity’s shot was saved by India’s goalie Munni. Yet, Shveta Rani of India did not miss when she shot the first penalty for the team.

Mariam came for the second penalty and scored the first for Bangladesh. And with Bangladesh’s goalie Mst Yearzan Begum saving India’s third penalty by Alena Devi Sarangthem, the team was back in the game.

Moreover, Bangladesh’s number 10, Thuinuye Marma, scored and made it 2-1 for the team while India’s Bonifilia Shullai’s penalty was saved by Begum.

India took a breath of relief when Alpi Akter missed the penalty as the ball hit the crossbar and Anwita Raghuraman, shooting the fourth penalty for India, made it 2-2.

Bangladesh’s Sathi Munda came to shoot the fifth penalty and scored to make it 3-2. With a goal lead, Begum saved the final penalty by India’s Divyandi Linda and won the cup for Bangladesh.

Awards

Bhutan was given the ‘Fair Play’ award for being the most decent team in the tournament.  India’s Anushka Kumari was awarded the ‘Golden Boot’ for becoming the highest scorer in the tournament with six goals in four matches.

Likewise, Sauravi Akanda Prity of Bangladesh was adjudged the most valuable player.  Bangladesh’s saviour in the penalties, goalie Begum, was awarded as the best goalkeeper.