By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu (Hamro Khelkud) – Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari has reached 50 international goals in Nepali colours in Nepal’s 5-0 thrashing of Iraq in the WAFF Women’s Championship 2024. Samba scored all five goals in the outing in Riyadh to take her international goal tally to 50 goals.
Nepal took time to assert their dominance in the match but didn’t stop after finding their foot in the game. Samba found the back of the net in the 14th minute to hand Nepal the lead in the match. She met a Rekha Poudel through ball played from her own half with blistering pace to put the ball past the Iraqi goalkeeper for the first goal of the match.
Samba scored her second just two minutes later. She stole the ball from Direen Mullabakar’s feet inside the box and easily beat the on-rushing goalkeeper for an early brace. She completed her hat-trick in the 37th minute with a close-range header off a cross from Puja Rana.
She added her fourth goal in the first half itself, finishing a pass from Rekha Poudel in her second attempt. Samba finished a Preeti Rai through ball first-time in the 80th minute to score her fifth of the match and reach 50 goals for Nepal.
She netted her first international goal shortly after stepping onto the field as a substitute against Bhutan back in 2014. Despite facing a setback due to a serious knee injury that temporarily sidelined her from the team, she made a return, consistently finding the back of the net. She has scored in 25 different matches for Nepal.
Nepal have only lost four matches in which she has scored. Nepal have won 17 matches when she has scored while four have ended in draws.
Nepal, one of two teams in the ongoing WAFF Women’s Championship will take on Palestine in their final group match on Saturday.
