Nepali girls out of title race

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Aug. 28: Nepal’s hopes of winning the SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship came to a disappointing end on Wednesday after suffering a second consecutive defeat to Bangladesh in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Nepal lost 4–1 to a dominant Bangladeshi side at the Changlimithang Stadium. This followed their earlier 3–0 defeat to the same opponents, deepening Nepal’s struggles in the tournament.

The campaign of Nepal began with a heavy 7–0 loss to India. Nepal then bounced back with a narrow 2–1 win over hosts Bhutan. However, their failure to beat Bangladesh in either match has now ruled them out of title contention.

Wednesday’s match was largely one-sided. Star forward Sauravi Akanda Prity scored a hat-trick, while Thuinuye Marma added one more goal. Nepal’s only goal came from captain Bhumika Budhathoki, offering a brief moment of consolation.

Bangladesh led 2–1 at half-time. Marma opened the scoring in the 39th minute. Prity doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time. Two minutes later, Budhathoki reduced the deficit. 

After the break, Prity added two more goals in the 71st and 87th minutes to complete her hat-trick.

With this win, Bangladesh have collected nine points from four matches and currently sit second in the standings. Nepal remain on three points from the same number of games. The defeat was especially painful as Nepal needed a win to stay in the title race.

The tournament features four teams—Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and hosts Bhutan—playing in a double round-robin format. The team finishing top of the table will be crowned champions.

Nepal are scheduled to play their remaining matches against India on 29 August and Bhutan on 31 August.