By a Staff Reporter
Nepal’s SAFF U17 Women’s Championship campaign got off to a rocky start with a 4-1 loss against India.
The first match of the championship played at Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mustafa Kamal Stadium in Bangladesh, saw Shilji Shahji of India score a hat-trick, with Pooja adding a goal for India, while Barsha Oli scored the sole consolation goal for Nepal.
Shilji scored the opener in the 10th minute and went on to score her brace in the 40th minute before Pooja made it 3-0 in the 41st.
Barsha Oli scored Nepal’s only goal in the 54th minute, while Shilji completed her hat-trick in the 81st minute, securing India’s win and three points in the tournament.
The Championship features five teams: Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Russia, with the top team after the single round-robin format being crowned the champions. Nepal’s next match is against Bhutan on March 22, followed by matches against Russia on March 26, and hosts Bangladesh on March 28.