India, Nepal set for SAFF slugfest
A truly scintillating clash is on the cards in the finals of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championships, when defending champions India, who have swiftly demolished all who have stood in their way, meet an equally-dominant Nepali team, at 3.30 p.m. at Longden Place today.
Nepal beat Sri Lanka 3-0 to eliminate the hosts from the contest.
The Indians virtually waltzed into the finals with a ruthless 11-0 obliteration of Afghanistan in the semifinals, while Nepal drove a dagger of despair through the heart of hosts Sri Lanka by eliminating them 3-0 in their semi-final.
The finals will be a replay of the inaugural 2010 edition of the tournament, where Nepal were only marginally edged out 1-0. It will also be the second time the two teams have met at the denouement of a major tournament in the recent past, as they also clashed in the 2010 South Asian Federation (SAF) finals, where once again India got the better of them by 3 goals to 1.
India, led by the battle-hardened Bem Bem Devi, have a well balanced side, with a lethal mixture of deadly accurate and quick attackers and strong and well-organized defenders like young Tuli Goon.
In the match between India and Afghanistan, as the score line suggests, the only time the Afghans were in control of the game was when they were singing their national anthem. Thereafter India promptly proceeded to dismantle them with goals from Samita Mallick (4), Kamala Devi (3), Prameshwori Devi (1), Bem Bem Devi (2) and Pinky Bompal (1).
This performance follows a long path of destruction through the tournament by India, during which they have crushed Bangladesh 3-0, Sri Lanka 5-0 and Bhutan 11-0.
Nepal too have exhibited a style of play which has been brimming with offensive artistry and defensive tenacity. Their victory over Sri Lanka was the perfect demonstration of this, as they ripped apart one of the stronger sides in the tournament with relative ease.
Although doing their utmost to weather Nepal’s superior firepower, Sri Lanka were simply unable to cope with the sustained pressure and had their net battered in the second half with goals from Anu Lama, Dipa Adikari and Laxmi Paudel.
Skipper Jamuna Gurung along with Lama and Adikari have been in devastating scoring form, and have been assisted amply by a creative midfield and a tight defensive line. These components gifted Nepal a slew of strong wins against Pakistan (8-0), Maldives (5-0) and Afghanistan (7-1) during their group games.
They will now look to surmount a hurdle that has twice tripped them. However, they are unlikely to be fazed by this and will look to go third time lucky in a definite no-holds-barred collision against an Indian outfit that is just as saturated with confidence and resilience.
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