Bangladesh’s hopes of lifting the SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship ended after a 1-1 draw against Bhutan on Friday. Later in the evening, India secured the title with a commanding 5-0 win over Nepal, ensuring they topped the table with one game still to play.
India lead with 15 points from five matches, while Bangladesh have 10. Even a victory in their final game against India on 31 August would leave them two points short. The other teams in the four-nation tournament, Nepal and Bhutan, have three and one points respectively, meaning Bangladesh’s final match is now purely a formality.
In the match against Bhutan, Bangladesh took an early lead in the sixth minute when Purnima Marma scored a brilliant strike from outside the D-box following a midfield attack. Bangladesh looked set to take a 1-0 lead into half-time, but a defensive error allowed Bhutan to equalise. In the second minute of added time before the break, Chorten Jangmo outsmarted goalkeeper Meghla Rani to make it 1-1.
The second half saw both sides press for a winner, but neither could break the deadlock, and the match ended in a draw.
Earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh had beaten hosts Bhutan 3-1, lost 2-0 to India, then defeated Nepal 3-0. In the return leg, they again beat Nepal 4-1.
Bangladesh had previously triumphed in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship held in Dhaka, going undefeated in that tournament. However, in the U-17 championship in Bhutan, they were already trailing India after an earlier defeat, and the draw against Bhutan effectively ended their title hopes.
Bangladesh will now face India in their sixth and final league match on 31 August at the same venue, but with the championship already decided in India’s favour.