New Delhi: Five-time champions India women’s national football team booked their place in the final of the SAFF Women’s Championship after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bhutan women’s national football team in the semifinal on Wednesday.
The decisive moment came in the 60th minute when midfielder Sanfida Nongrum found the breakthrough, ending Bhutan’s determined resistance and sending the hosts into the championship match. India will now face defending champions Bangladesh women’s national football team in Sunday’s final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Having scored 14 goals in two group-stage matches, India entered the semifinal as overwhelming favourites. However, Bhutan once again demonstrated the defensive discipline that has carried them to three consecutive semifinal appearances in the tournament.
Despite dominating possession and spending long periods in the opposition half, the Blue Tigresses struggled to break down a well-organised Bhutan defence during the first half. Chances fell to players such as Karishma Shirvoikar, Soumya Guguloth and Aveka Singh, but a combination of missed opportunities and solid goalkeeping kept the scores level at the break.
Bhutan remained a threat on the counterattack and created a few promising opportunities of their own, testing the Indian defence whenever space opened up.
India finally capitalised on sustained pressure when Sanfida’s strike put the hosts ahead. Coach Crispin Chhetri responded by introducing experienced attackers, including Manisha Kalyan and Pyari Xaxa, as India searched for a second goal.
Although India created additional chances late in the game, Bhutan continued to battle and kept the contest alive until the final whistle. Ultimately, the visitors were unable to find an equaliser, allowing India to secure a narrow but crucial victory.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh advanced to their third consecutive final with a dramatic 2-1 win over Nepal women’s national football team, thanks to a stoppage-time winner from substitute Sagorika. India now stand one victory away from reclaiming the SAFF crown for the first time since 2019.
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