SAFF Women's Championship: Nepal defeats Bhutan 2-1

Kaski, Feb 2: Nepal secured a victory over Bhutan by 2-1 in the ongoing South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-19 Women's Championship.     

In the match held at the International Football Stadium in Pokhara Stadium, Pokhara on Monday, Nepal took the lead after Srijana Baduwal scored the first goal in the 36th minute.     

The Nepali team doubled its lead in the 69th minute when Prajita Rai scored the second goal, putting Nepal firmly in control of the match.     

Bhutan attempted a late comeback after Sonam Choden pulled one back in the 87th minute. Nevertheless, Nepal held on to seal the win and collect their first point of the tournament.     

This win keeps Nepal's chances of reaching the final alive.     

Earlier, Nepal suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against India in the opening match.     

Bhutan, meanwhile, has been eliminated from the final contention after losing in both of their matches. They had been heavily beaten 12-0 by Bangladesh in their first game.     

In another match held on Monday itself, Bangladesh defeated India 2-0.     

With the two consecutive wins, Bangladesh sits at the top of the points table with six points. India is second with three points from two matches while host Nepal has three points.     

Bhutan is yet to earn a point.     

The final league-stage match will be played on February 4, with India facing Bhutan and Nepal taking on Bangladesh.     

The top two teams in the standings will contest in the final on February 7.(RSS)