Bangladesh loses to India after 7 years

Bangladesh, who had defeated India in the last two editions of the SAFF Women's Championship, were crushed 3-0 this time. This is the first time since 2019 that Peter Butler's team has lost to India. As a result of the defeat, Bangladesh has entered the semi-finals as runners-up in Group 'B', where they will face strong Nepal on June 3.

In the match held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, Bangladesh suffered from their own weaknesses from the beginning. In just one and a half minutes, forward Anika Rania Siddiqui wasted an easy opportunity even though she had the goalkeeper alone. On the other hand, India took maximum advantage of Bangladesh's defensive mistakes. In the 36th minute, Pyari Sasa scored the first goal from a wrong clearance by defender Kohati Kisku. In the 78th minute, substitute forward Linda Kom doubled the lead from a penalty after an unnecessary foul in the box. In the added time, the third goal was confirmed for Bangladesh when an unguarded Malavika shot.

The match was marked by the weakness of the attacking finishing and the lack of focus on the defence. Maria Manda, Rituparna Chakma and Shamsunnahar Juniors sent the ball into the box several times, but there was no forward to take up positions there. Coach Butler will have to quickly overcome these weaknesses before facing Nepal in the semi-final.

In the other match of the day, Nepal defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 to advance to the semi-finals as Group 'A' champions. India will face Bhutan in the semi-finals.