Bangladesh advanced to the final of the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship after a commanding 4-0 victory over Nepal on Wednesday at Pokhara Stadium in Nepal.
The win, their third consecutive in the tournament, takes Bangladesh to nine points and sets up a highly anticipated final against India.
Earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh defeated India in their second match, putting them on the verge of the final.
In the 2024 edition held in Dhaka, the two teams met in a dramatic final that ended in a 1-1 draw in regular time and an 11-11 tie in the tiebreaker, with SAFF declaring both teams joint champions. Two years later, they will face each other again for the title.
Bangladesh dominated Nepal from the start. Mira Khatun opened the scoring in the third minute, and Alpi Akhter doubled the lead just before halftime. Alpi scored her second goal in the 66th minute and completed a hat-trick in the 82nd minute, sealing a 4-0 win.
Earlier in the day, India defeated Bhutan 8-0 to reach six points, confirming their place in the final regardless of the Bangladesh-Nepal result. Under the league-format tournament rules, the top two teams, Bangladesh with nine points and India with six, will meet in the final on Saturday at 3:00 pm.
RI/MHK