By a staff reporter
Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari and her side Hapoel Ra’anana have been knocked out of the Athena Cup in Israel. Ra’anana lost 3-0 to Kiryat Gat on Thursday night in the semifinals and bowed out of the tournament.
Ra’anana made it to the final four despite going through a 6-0 loss in the final group match. They showed an improved performance against the defending champions. Samba had a few chances that fell to her feet but the opposition goalkeeper kept her from finding the net.
Samba had netted a goal and gave an assist in her debut for her new side in Israel. Ra’anana were awarded a walkover win in the match before that while they lost 6-0 to Jerusalem in the final group match. Jerusalem will take on Kiryat Gat, who are featuring in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying round for the title.
Samba will make her Israeli top-flight debut on August 31 by taking on Hasaron. She will become the first Nepali in history to feature for a side in a European League.
