Bangladesh loses title after defeat to India in final

Bangladesh loses title after defeat to India in final

Bangladesh has lost the title after a heavy defeat to India in the final of the SAFF Under-19 Women's Championship held in Pokhara, Nepal. India defeated Bangladesh 4-0 in today's final to become champions.

India was leading 1-0 at halftime. However, the Bangladeshi girls could not mount any resistance in the second half. Instead, they conceded three more goals in this half and left the field with the pain of a shattered dream.

Bangladesh had shown excellent performance in the group stage. They scored 18 goals in three matches without conceding any. In fact, they had even defeated India 2-0 in the group stage. But coach Butler's team could not maintain that rhythm and control in the final.

In the 42nd minute of the match, India's captain capitalised on a defensive error by Bangladesh to score easily from an unmarked position, putting her team ahead. Bangladesh fell further behind early in the second half due to a controversial decision by the referee. In the 61st minute, goalkeeper Yarzhan failed to control a long ball from India. Following a subsequent collision with a forward, the referee awarded a penalty, which India converted to double their lead.

A short while later, Yarzhan made another mistake while attempting to handle a back-pass from Priti. The ball deflected off an opponent and an Indian striker tapped it in for a goal. Bangladesh conceded a fourth goal in the 83rd minute due to another defensive error.

India played controlled and planned football throughout the match. In contrast, Bangladesh was disorganised, and mistakes in defence and goalkeeping led to the heavy defeat.