Nira chanu

SAFF U16 Women: India’s fortunes in the SAFF U16 Women’s Championship took a hit on Tuesday when they went down to strong Bangladesh 1-3 at the ANFA Sports Complex in Lalitpur, Nepal, While the victory took Bangladesh to the top of the group in the four-team round-robin with six points from two matches and virtually earned them a spot in the final, India were left to fend with three points from two matches. The Young Tigresses will now have to wait until their last match against Nepal to ensure their place in the challenge round.

After Alpi Akter put Bangladesh ahead in the ninth minute, diminutive attacking midfielder Anushka Kumari scored her fourth goal of the tournament to restore parity in the 55th minute. India, however, could not save the day as Sauravi Akanda Prity made the best use of a defensive lapse in the 79th minute to clinch the second goal for Bangladesh. Arpita Biswas delivered the telling blow with yet another goal in the 89th minute.

Given the recent results across all age groups, Bangladesh are considered a force to be reckoned with in women’s football in the SAFF region. They often beat their rivals, including India, convincingly. But it wasn’t the scenario on Monday, even though Bangladesh walked away with all three points.