Kathmandu, July 17
Nepal delivered another emphatic performance in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship, defeating Sri Lanka 7-0 for the second time in the tournament.
In the match held Thursday afternoon at the Bashundhara Sports Ground in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nepal netted four goals in the first half and added three more in the second.
Samikshya Magar led the charge with two goals, while Purnima Rai, Kusum Khatiwada, Sarita Nath, and Birshana Chaudhary each added one. Nepal also benefited from an own goal by the Sri Lankan side.
Purnima opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a tap-in, followed by a goal from Kusum in the 35th to double the lead. Sarita made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute with a stunning free-kick, and a deflected shot from Kusum just before halftime extended the lead to 4-0.
In the second half, Birshana converted a penalty in the 67th minute, while Samikshya struck twice in the 74th and 78th minutes to seal the 7-0 victory. Birshana had a chance to score again in the 90th minute from the penalty spot, but the Sri Lankan goalkeeper made a save.
Nepal had also defeated Sri Lanka 7-0 in their previous encounter.
With this win, Nepal now tops the table with 9 points from 4 matches. Bangladesh, who have a game in hand, also have 9 points from 3 unbeaten matches but trail Nepal on goal difference. Bangladesh is set to face Bhutan later this evening.
