Kathmandu, Oct 27: Nepal has reached the final of the SAFF Women’s Football Championship by defeating India in a penalty shootout.
In today’s tense semifinal match held on Sunday at Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar, Nepal won against India 4-2 in the penalty shootout after both teams ended the regular time with one goal each.
Earlier, both teams played a goalless first half. In the allotted 45 minutes and an additional three minutes, neither Nepal nor India scored. India maintained pressure on Nepal during the first half, while Nepal missed opportunities to score. Both teams had some excellent chances but failed to convert them.
In the second half, Nepal’s Rekha Paudel received a red card (getting two yellow card) and had to leave the field after being shown a second yellow card in the 51st minute, reducing Nepal to ten players. After the red card, Nepali fans voiced their displeasure for a while.
India’s Sangita Basfore then scored a fantastic goal, giving India the lead. Just as India celebrated their goal, Nepal quickly responded with a goal of their own, but the referee disallowed it. The match was paused for a significant amount of time due to rising tensions.
As soon as the game resumed, Nepal’s Sabitra Bhandari ‘Samba’ equalized, making the score 1-1. The match remained tied without further goals, leading to a penalty shootout. In the shootout, Nepal scored 4 goals, while India managed only 2.
In the other semifinal match held earlier today at Dasharath Stadium, Bangladesh defeated Bhutan 7-1 to secure their place in the final.
Now, in the final, Nepal will face Bangladesh.
