By a Staff Reporter
Nepal faced a tough loss to Russia, with a scoreline of 3-0 in an ongoing SAFF U17 Women’s Championship at the BSSS Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Dhaka. With the victory, the invited guest Russia moved a step closer to being crowned champions of the tournament.
Bhagwati Rana Magar’s side put up a strong fight, but their opponents proved to be too strong for them in the end. The game was a closely contested affair in the first half, with both teams creating chances but failing to convert them into goals. All three goals of the match came in the second half of the game from Russian substitutes.
The breakthrough for Russia came in the 63rd minute when Elena Golik found the back of the net. She struck again in the 74th minute to double the lead and put Russia in a comfortable position. Nepal tried to fight back, but their efforts were thwarted when Polina Filshina scored in the 83rd minute to seal the victory for Russia. Meanwhile, Nepal struggled to cope with its attacking prowess.
The outcome meant Russia topped the table with 9 points from three matches. India stands below Russia in second with 6 points from an equal number of matches. Both teams will meet each other in the final match of the tournament on Tuesday. A draw would be enough for Russia to clinch the title whereas India needs to crush Russia by more than three goals to be crowned champions. Earlier, in the day’s first match, India thrashed Bhutan 9-0.
Nepal, who has a single win from three matches will play against the hosts Bangladesh in the final match of the championship on Tuesday. Bangladesh stands third in the points table while Nepal stands fourth. Likewise, Bhutan tops the table from the bottom.
The SAFF U17 Women’s Champions is being played in a single round-robin format where the team with the most points will become the champion. Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Russia are competing in the championship.
