Bangladesh continued to be a firm favourite for the SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship 2025 title while Nepal sat at the host’s heels in second place.
The group topper will be adjudged as the champion at the end of the double round-robin stage between the four participating nations.
In the first match on Tuesday, Bangladesh eased past Bhutan 4-1 in a match which spanned almost five hours and was played on two different grounds.
The game started at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka which saw Bangladesh take a slender 1-0 lead at half-time through Shanti Mardi’s goal. However, the second half got delayed by more than two and a half hours due to heavy rain and poor pitch conditions.
Ultimately, the match was shifted to the Bashundhara Kings’ training ground. Bhutan equalised soon after the break through Sangay Wangmo, but Bangladesh made sure to take all three points through Mardi’s second-half brace and Munki Akther’s goal.
In the second match of the day, Nepal blanked Sri Lanka 7-0. Meena Deuba netted a hat-trick, Purnima Rain bagged a brace, while Samiskhya Magar and Sarita Kumari scored the other goals.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com