KATHMANDU: India secured a convincing victory against Pakistan in the opening match of the SAFF Women’s Championship football tournament, held today at Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu.
India dominated from the outset, with Grace Dangmei opening the scoring in the 5th minute.
Manisha Kalyan quickly followed with another goal in the 17th minute, doubling India’s lead.
Bala Devi added a third goal for India in the 35th minute, and Dangmei Grace scored her second goal in the 42nd minute, putting India 4-0 ahead.
Pakistan managed to pull one back in extra time of the first half when Suha Hirani converted a penalty after India’s Aslata Devi fouled Pakistan’s Nadia Khan.
India led 4-1 at halftime.
Early in the second half, Pakistan showed signs of a comeback with Kayal Marie Siddiqui scoring a goal.
However, India’s Jyoti Chauhan secured the win with a fifth goal in the 78th minute, finishing the game at 5-2.
With this victory, India earned three points in the tournament. Group ‘A’ consists of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, while Group ‘B’ features Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
The next match will be between Sri Lanka and the Maldives at 1:30 PM on Friday, followed by Nepal facing Bhutan at 5:30 PM.
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