Bangladesh retained the SAFF Women's Championship title beating host Nepal by 2-1 goals in the keenly contested final match held at Dasharath Rangasala Stadium at Kathmandu in Nepal on Wednesday.
It was the second occasion Bangladesh won the prestigious SAFF title after making history by winning their maiden SAFF title beating the same opponent by 3-1 goals in the SAFF final held in 2022 at the same venue.
In the proceeding, Monika Chakma and Ritu Porna Chakma scored one goal each for Bangladesh in the 52nd and 81st minutes while Amisha Karki netted a lone goal for Nepal in the 56th minute of the match.
Monika Chakma stunned the host side by scoring the goal on 52 minutes. But, Nepal came back strongly within three minutes as Amisha netted the goal after a brilliant pass from Prity Rai.
In the closing moments, Ritu Porna shattered the dream of Nepalese for the second consecutive time. She sealed the title with a brilliant goal at the 81st minute.
In the second minute, a chance arose for Tahura due to a mistake by the Nepali goalkeeper. However, Tahura’s shot hit the side post and missed the goal by a whisker.
Bangladesh failed to score. Bangladesh created threats repeatedly from the left flank. Both teams tried to launch attacks in the first half to secure a goal.
Nepal responded well to Bangladesh's assaults, showing remarkable strength in their defence. They also performed well in pressing.
From the outset of the second half, the battle intensified with attacks and counter-attacks. Both teams aimed to break through the opponent's defence, although the initial attempts did not yield results.
In the 52nd minute, Bangladesh took the lead with a brilliant attack that pierced through Nepal's defence, thanks to Monika Chakma.
However, just three minutes after falling behind, Nepal equalised. Prity Rai, who was playing excellently, delivered an outstanding through pass, which was converted into a goal by Nepali forward Amisha.
In the 60th minute, Bangladesh had an opportunity from a corner, but despite coming close, Sabina Khatun's team failed to find the net.
In the 67th minute, Maria Manda took a spectacular shot from outside the box, but it was brilliantly saved by Nepal's goalkeeper, Anjila.
Bangladesh narrowly missed scoring. The team failed to create opportunities from corners. In the 71st minute, Nepal nearly scored on a counter-attack but were unable to find the goal.
In the final 15 minutes, as the match approached the climax, both teams attempted to attack while being somewhat cautious. Neither team wanted to concede a goal in the closing moments. In the 76th minute, Nepal orchestrated a wonderful attack, but it wasn't enough to score. Shortly after, Bangladesh squandered an opportunity as well. However, in the 81st minute, Bangladesh took the lead again with a superb goal from Rituporna Chakma, who outwitted the Nepali goalkeeper with an exceptional shot from the left flank. This goal ignited celebrations in Bangladesh as they secured the title.
