3 months ago
1
India began their SAFF U19 Women's Championship 2026 run with a 1-0 triumph against hosts Nepal astatine the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium present connected Saturday.
Pearl Fernandes (49') scored the lone extremity of the crippled close aft the resumption successful the 2nd half.
Although this is an U19 tournament, India person travelled to Pokhara with an U17 squad that is preparing for the AFC U17 Asian Cup, aboriginal this year..
Head manager Pamela Conti, who was appointed earlier this month, had her archetypal crippled successful charge, wherever she handed retired inferior India debuts to Redima Devi Chingkhamayum and Alva Devi Senjam, some of whom started the game.
On what could lone beryllium called a unsmooth pitch, India began with an intent to get the pb aboriginal on, looking to play aerial diagonals to prise unfastened the Nepal back-line. Captain Julan Nongmaithem threaded an aboriginal done shot with the extracurricular of her footwear to Redima, who fell abbreviated by astir a mates of feet, failing to bring the shot nether her control.
Nepal had a accidental of their ain successful the 10th minute, erstwhile Barsha Oli played Sahara Limbu done wrong the India box, but Elizabed Lakra showed bully beingness of caput to shield the Nepal forward, allowing India goalkeeper Munni to cod the shot with ease.
Both teams remained locked successful a midfield conflict for large parts of the archetypal half, and with crushed passes bobbing up and down, India opted to spell for the aerial route, a maneuver that astir paid disconnected connected the half-hour mark..
Alva, who did good to get into a bully crossing presumption connected the left, sent a unsafe shot into the Nepal box. However, neither person nor foe managed to link to it.
The 2nd fractional started with a bang, arsenic India surged guardant successful onslaught and took the pb conscionable 4 minutes in. Substitute Pritika jinked past Nepal's Maya Maske, hared into the box, and produced a cut-back..
While the Nepal goalkeeper was well-positioned and managed to get a thenar connected the ball, she lone facilitated India, parrying the shot into the way of an onrushing Pearl, who buried it location from adjacent range.
The extremity galvanised Nepal for immoderate time, arsenic they looked to marque their mode backmost into the game. However, their attempts to get past the India back-line were repeatedly thwarted by the Young Tigresses..
The hosts' aureate accidental came connected the hr mark, erstwhile skipper Sushila KC's country dropped successful the India punishment country and fell kindly for Srijana Baduwal, who volleyed it into the side-netting.
India regained the tempo successful the closing stages, preventing Nepal from creating opportunities to equalise. Pritika had a aureate accidental to enactment the crippled to furniture erstwhile she chased aft a agelong clearance by Elizabed successful the 89th minute..
As the shot bounced wrong the Nepal container and distant from her markers, Pritika lone had goalkeeper Jharna Dumrakoti to beat. While the India guardant did negociate to get to the shot first, her attempted spot looped wide of the goal..
India had different accidental successful wounded time, erstwhile Elizabed played it to substitute Anwita Raghuraman, who laid it disconnected for Julan. The India skipper faked her changeable earlier threading a walk done to Alva, but the Nepal defence managed to scupper the intricate move.
Earlier successful the day, Bangladesh defeated Bhutan 12-0, a effect that puts India successful the 2nd spot connected the table; the Young Tigresses way Bangladesh lone connected extremity difference..
India volition look Bangladesh successful their adjacent lucifer connected February 2. The apical 2 teams astatine the extremity of the league signifier volition advancement to a one-off final.
