KATHMANDU, July 19: Nepal delivered a dominant performance against Bhutan in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship on Saturday, scoring six unanswered goals in the first half of the match held at the Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Nepali side wasted no time, taking the lead in the very first minute with a goal from Mina Deuwa. In the 9th minute, Samiksha Magar doubled the lead, and just three minutes later, Mina scored her second of the match, making it 3–0. Purnima Marnimarai added another goal in the 23rd minute—her eighth of the tournament—cementing her position as the tournament’s leading scorer.
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Mina nearly completed a hat-trick in the 27th minute but missed a one-on-one chance against the Bhutanese goalkeeper. Nevertheless, Nepal extended their lead in first-half injury time with Purnima scoring again to make it 5–0. She completed her hat-trick just minutes later, taking her tournament tally to nine goals.
This was the second meeting between Nepal and Bhutan in the ongoing championship. In their earlier encounter on Tuesday, Nepal had defeated Bhutan 6–1, with Purnima scoring four goals and Senu Pariyar adding two.
The championship features four participating nations and follows a double round-robin format. The team finishing top of the table at the end of all matches will be crowned champion.
After four matches, Bangladesh leads the standings with 12 points, while Nepal sits second with 9 points and a superior goal difference. Bhutan is third with 3 points, and Sri Lanka remains at the bottom without a win. The upcoming match between Nepal and Bangladesh, scheduled for Monday, is expected to be decisive in determining the tournament winner.
Bangladesh will also face Sri Lanka later today. Despite being in second place, Nepal currently holds a better goal difference than the hosts, keeping their title hopes alive.
