KATHMANDU: Nepal kicked off the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship with an emphatic 6-1 victory over Bhutan at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka on Friday.
Purnima Rai led Nepal’s dominant performance, scoring four goals, while Senu Pariyar added two. Nepal took a commanding 3-0 lead in the first half and netted three more in the second. Bhutan managed a single consolation goal after the break.
Senu opened the scoring in the 9th minute, finishing off a well-placed pass from Barsha Oli. In the 18th minute, Purnima doubled the lead with a close-range shot, again assisted by Barsha. Just before halftime, Senu scored her second goal, giving Nepal a 3-0 advantage at the break.
Bhutan’s Kelden Wangmo briefly narrowed the gap in the 53rd minute, but Purnima quickly responded, restoring Nepal’s three-goal lead. She completed her hat-trick in the 83rd minute and added her fourth goal in the 88th to seal the resounding win.
Nepal missed several other opportunities, with Sukriya Mia and Barsha Oli both failing to convert promising chances.
With this win, Nepal secured 3 points in the tournament. In the other match of the day, hosts Bangladesh crushed Sri Lanka 9-1 to top the table on goal difference. Although both Nepal and Bangladesh have 3 points, Bangladesh holds the lead due to superior goal margin.
Nepal will face Bangladesh next on Sunday. The tournament features four teams competing in a double round-robin format, where each team plays the others twice. The team with the highest points at the end will be crowned champions.
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