Dhaka
India booked their spot in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-19 Women’s Championship final after defeating Nepal 4-0 in their concluding round-robin match at the BSSSMK Stadium here on Tuesday.
India will now cross swords with hosts and defending champions Bangladesh in the final to be played on Thursday. The Young Tigresses had earlier won their first match 10-0 against Bhutan, followed by a 0-1 defeat against Bangladesh.
After a goalless first half, Indian girls dished out a rousing display in the second session to slam in four goals. With the Indian forward line of Neha, Sibani Devi and Sulanjana Raul ripping open the rival defence at repeated intervals, Nepal were reduced to playing the second fiddle.
Winger Neha put in a fine performance, which also included a second-half brace, while Sulanjana Raul and substitute Cindy Temruatpuii Colney, added two late goals to make it a comfortable win for India.
The Young Tigresses started on the front foot, most of their attacks coming down the left flank, where Neha used her pace to make headways. Her crosses were a constant menace for the Nepal defence, who had to break more than a sweat to deal with them.
Nepal goalkeeper Lila Joshi’s inability to deal with India’s centres also contributed to the general overload in the box, as she dropped the ball thrice in the opening exchanges. Sulanjana Raul, Sibani Devi, and Pooja, who were close at hand on the three occasions, failed to make the most of the opportunities.
Nepal right winger Senu Pariyar had their only chance of the afternoon when she was put through behind the Indian defence, but did not quite have the angle to follow through with her intent to shoot; she was eventually dispossessed.
