India and Bangladesh off the mark
Dhaka
3 Feb 2023
India and Bangladesh bagged wins in their respective matches as the SAFF U20 Women’s Championship 2023 kicked off at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mustofa Kamal Stadium on Friday.
India registered an easy 12-0 win over Bhutan, while Bangladesh defeated Nepal 3-1.
Neha, Anita Kumar and Lynda Kom bagged a hat-trick each for the Indian team as India ran riot in the Bhutan defense from the early stages of the match.
It took India 29 minutes to break the deadlock with the goal coming in from Apurna Narzary. Once the foundation was laid, goals came in quick successions for the Indian team. Nazary found her second goal in the 36th minute. The other scorers for India were: Nitu Linda 43’, Neha 45+2’, 55’, 90’ Anita Kumari 50’, 69’, 78’, Lynda Kom 61’, 63’, 75’.
For host Bangladesh, Most Aklima Khatun put her team in the driving seat as early as in the third minute and Shaheda Akther Ripa doubled the margin in the 13th minute. Mananmaya Damai reduced the deficit for Nepal scoring in the 24th minute, making it a thrilling encounter between the two sides. But Shaheda Akther put the icing on the cake for the home scoring in the 90+1 minute.