Reigning champion Bangladesh will take on Nepal in the ongoing 7th SAFF Women's Championship 2024 final on Wednesday.
The match is scheduled to take place at 6:45 pm (BST) at the Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Bangladesh, who are playing in the women’s SAFF final for the third time, secured their historic title of this prestigious regional football meet for women after beating Nepal by 3-1 goals in the final of the 2022 edition two years ago at the same venue.
The reigning champions will definitely give their best efforts to defend their historic maiden title today and in the process be the second nation after India to defend the title, though India earlier defended their title for five times in a row.
On the other hand, Nepal, who have played five previous finals and will again play the final (seventh time), will try hard to end their title drought. Noteworthy, Nepal became runners-up for five times.
“Last time we had an experienced team, most of the players were amazing and gave their best on the field. But I think both teams (the previous team and the current team) are equal in terms of performance,” said Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“Of Course, there are some disadvantages as most of our players are young and they are facing a new environment. But I believe most of the players have the advantage of playing on this field. I think the hosts will take a little bit more pressure than the touring side,” she added.
“We didn't have any contact (training) on Tuesday, we had a very light session. I don’t want to risk any injury. It really doesn't matter who will play in the eleven as the whole team are very competitive,” said Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler on the same occasion.
After starting the event with a 1-1 draw against Pakistan, Bangladesh made an impressive comeback in the tournament with 3-1 win over India. They stormed into the final after cruising Bhutan by 7-1 goals in the semifinals.
Nepal, on the other hand, started with a goalless draw against Bhutan but crushed Maldives and Sri Lanka by 11-0 and 6-0 goals in the group and then secured a hard-fought 1(4)-1(2) win over India in the semis.
However, Bangladesh got big relief as Nepal’s Rekha Poudel will miss the match as she conceded a red card against India, but they also have to be careful about Nepal’s another game changer Sabitra Bhandari.
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
