Nepal has made a winning start in the sixth edition of Women's SAFF Championship football being held today at the Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwor.
Nepal was off with a good start by defeating Bhutan 4-0 in the opening match. Savitra Bhandari and Anita Basnet scored two goals each for Nepali team.
The first half was affected by heavy rain. However, after the 12th minute of the game, Savitra scored a goal through Amisha Karki's pass, giving Nepal the lead.
Before that, in the 11th minute, Hira Kumari Bhujel's ball from outside the penalty area hit the pole and came back.
In the 67th minute of the game, Savitra scored a second goal giving Nepal a 2-0 lead.
Anita then scored a goal in the 72nd minute of the game and gave Nepal a 3-0 lead. After that, in the 84th minute, Anita again scored a second goal and gave Nepal a 4-0 victory. Three players from Nepal made their debut in the match against Bhutan, who were, Deepa Shahi, Amisha Karki, and Samiksha Ghimire, in the national team.
With this win, Nepal in Group 'B' has added 3 points in the first match. Bhutan started the tournament with a loss.
Now Nepal will play against Sri Lanka in the second and final match of the group stage on August 28.
Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Maldives are participating in the tournament. SAFF has divided the participating 7 teams into two groups. In Group 'A' there are defending champions India, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Similarly, in group 'B' there are Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
After the group stage matches, the top two teams of the group will qualify for the semi-finals. The final match will be held on October 3.
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