Bangladesh the final hurdle for Nepal to win the SAFF U-20 title

The final match of the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship will decide the winner of the tournament. On Monday, Nepal will face Bangladesh in the crucial game.

Bangladesh is currently at the top of the table with five wins from five matches. Nepal is in second place with 12 points. The tournament is being played in a double round-robin format in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

To win the title, Nepal must beat Bangladesh in the final game. Bangladesh only needs a draw to become champions. In their first match, Bangladesh had defeated Nepal 3–2. According to the tournament rules, the head-to-head result will be considered first to determine the winner. That means Nepal has no other option but to win. In other situations, goal difference might also play a role.

On the second-last day of the tournament, Nepal beat Bhutan 8–0 while Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka 5–0. The match between Nepal and Bhutan was held at the second ground of Bashundhara Kings Arena. In that game, Purnima Rai and Meena Deuba both scored hat-tricks. Samiksha Magar and Kusum Khatiwada also scored one goal each.

Meena scored her first goal just 44 seconds into the match and added two more in the 12th and 65th minutes. Purnima scored in the 23rd, injury time of the first half, and the 6th minute of the second half. Samiksha scored in the 9th minute and Kusum scored in the 63rd minute.

After the game, Nepal’s head coach Yam Gurung said, “Our team played with discipline. It was difficult for both teams due to the heat, but it may have been harder for the Bhutanese players.”

Coach Gurung expressed happiness over the win and mentioned the importance of the upcoming match against Bangladesh. “We will work on improving our weaknesses before the final game. We need to play very carefully,” he said.

Meena, who scored a hat-trick, was also happy with her performance. “I didn’t get a chance to play in the first match against Bhutan, but I got my chance this time and managed to score a hat-trick. That makes me really happy. We now need to play united and strong against Bangladesh,” she said.