¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Bangladesh will be looking to lift their second straight title of the SAFF Women’s Championship when they take on hosts Nepal in a repeat of the last editions final at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Wednesday. 

The seven-nation tournament final is scheduled to begin at 6:45pm Bangladesh Standard Time. 

Bangladesh claimed their maiden title of this regional competition when they beat Nepal 3-1 in the final of the competition in 2022.  

This time, Bangladesh stormed to the final following a crushing 7-1 win over Bhutan in the semi-final before six-time finalists Nepal beat five-time champions India 4-2 (1-1) on penalties in the other last-four match.  

The semi-final between Nepal and India was halted for over an hour after the referee ruled out Nepal forward Sabitra Bhandari’s goal in the 67th minute. 

‘When it comes to the final, it’s about to control the occasion. I think a lot of factors will be involved in the game tomorrow,’ said Bangladesh coach Peter Butler in the pre-final press conference on Tuesday. 

‘I do believe that we will go by the right attitude, right focus, and mentality. We will give a good counter, ’he added. 

Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun expected it to be tough for them to play their natural game in front of a hostile Nepal crowd, but she believed they could overcome it. 

‘It will be tough playing in front of the huge local crowd, but I hope we can play our natural game that we have done throughout the tournament,’ said Sabina. 

Nepal captain Anjila Tumbapo Subba said,’ We must win tomorrow; if we don’t, it could take another five to 10 years for us to become a competitive team again.’

Recalling the previous edition loss, Anjila said, ‘Those results are a thing of the past... We don’t see it as [the chance of taking] revenge. It is a big chance for us, and we are united and ready to perform well to seize it.’