Bangladesh Women National football team will take challenge of their Nepal counterparts to lift the title of the SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship today.
Hosts Bangladesh and Nepal will embark on the final of the SAFF U-20, will take place at the Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Komlapur, Dhaka.
For the third time Bangladesh and Nepal women are going to face each others in the final of women’s tournaments inside six month. Bangladesh National sides won in Nepal the SAFF Championship when at home ground SAFF U-15 final conceded defeat to Nepal.
It is a great opportunity for Bangladesh National U-20 Women team to win the successive SAFF Women’s Championship trophy when the national sides won the SAFF Women’s (senior) trophy defeating Nepal at Katmandu in September 2022.
Bangladesh national women sides defeated Nepal in the final of the tournament by 3-1 to celebrate their maiden trophy (national competitions) of the South Asian region.
It was a big surprise of Nepal women’s team moving into the final when they outplayed the top favorites India in their group match clash by 3-1 following their defeat to Bangladesh.
However, Bangladesh women on their way to book their room in the final, defeated today’s opponents Nepal in their opener by 3-1, drew with India by 0-0 in the second match and confirmed the final with an easy 5-0 victory over Bhutan on Tuesday.
On the other hands Nepal, despite starting the tournament with an unhappy note after going down to Bangladesh, defeated Bhutan by 4-0 in the second match to keep their alive to move into the final.
It was a very slim hope for the Nepalese women to qualify into the final, as their last group match turned into a do or die encounter against the tough opponents India, who are the tournament’s top favourites.
But the girls from Himalayans stunned India coming from a goal down with a 3-1 win to seal final berth. The elimination of the Indian sides was very much disappointing, as they made a bright start with trouncing Bhutan by 12-0, halted the host Bangladesh on goalless draw.
Bangladesh, despite the favourites of the final, but it would be something tough job for them to beat Nepal, as they are now immensely boosted up after defeating India in the previous match.
Head coach of the Bangladesh team Golam Rabbani Choton also thinks that the task will not easy to defeat Nepal, as they moved into the final defeating India.
“Nepal highly inspired after defeating India, so obviously they are very strong sides and there is no way to take them lightly. Some of the players in the team are very sharp and have good stamina,” said Choton.
“Our girls are also very care about their job, they know what they would have to do, as both sides faced each others in their first match.”
About missing targets, Choton said, “Yes, it’s right the girls missing targets but they also converted some of the chances, so I am hopeful that they will more cautious in the final.”