Khairul Alam ; Sports Desk – Defending champions Bangladesh suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against hosts India in their high-voltage Group B match of the SAFF Women’s Championship.
The Blue Tigresses comfortably brushed aside the Red and Greens at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa today.
With this defeat, Peter Butler’s squad advances to the semifinals as the group runners-up, where they will face a formidable Nepal side for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, group champions India will lock horns with Bhutan in the last four.
Bangladesh had a golden opportunity to take an early lead in the match. However, forward Anika failed to convert a clear-cut chance right in front of the goalpost.
Recovering from the early scare, the hosts completely took control of the game. After winning their first corner in the 12th minute, India rattled the Bangladeshi defense again in the 26th minute when Pyari sent an unmarked header wide from a corner cross.
Pyari made no mistake nine minutes later. In the 35th minute, the striker collected the ball inside the box and slotted it past the Bangladeshi goalkeeper to give India a 1-0 lead. This marked her 20th international goal for India, sending Bangladesh into the break trailing by a goal.
Key Match Moment: Striker Pyari scored her 20th international goal in the 35th minute to break the deadlock for India.
Desperate for an equalizer, Bangladesh started the second half with higher intensity. In the 48th minute, a cross floating in from the left flank evaded all Bangladeshi attackers inside the box.
Later in the 57th minute, Ritu Porna Chakma dribbled past Indian defender Pyari and sent a sharp cross into the box, but a lack of clinical finishing let the team down again.
Instead, India capitalized on Bangladesh’s defensive lapses for the remainder of the match. In the 75th minute, Bangladeshi defender Surma Janat fouled Indian forward Malavika inside the penalty box.
The referee pointed to the spot, and 21-year-old Lynda made no mistake with the penalty kick, doubling India’s lead with her 6th international goal.
Just moments later, Malavika sealed the final blow for Bangladesh. Controlling a pass from the right flank, she found the back of the net with a precise shot, securing a dominant 3-0 victory for India.
In Group A, Nepal advanced to the semifinals as group champions following a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka, marking their second consecutive victory. Despite losing their opening match, Bhutan thrashed Sri Lanka 4-0 in their second game to secure the runners-up spot in Group A.
Group champions India will now face Bhutan in the semifinals. As group runners-up, Bangladesh will have to overcome Nepal—one of the tournament’s powerhouse teams—to reach the final. Having played in the finals in 6 out of the last 7 editions of SAFF, Nepal remains a top title contender.
However, the Bangladesh women’s team holds fond memories of silencing Nepal on their own turf to claim the championship in the previous two editions in 2022 and 2024.