KATHMANDU: Even before the start of the eighth edition of the SAFF Women’s Championship, it was almost certain—Nepal would be one of the teams reaching the semifinals. This could easily be deduced from the group division of the tournament.

Placed in Group ‘A’, Nepal will once again face either the defending champions Bangladesh or India from the other group in the semifinals. While those two teams have already secured their semifinal spots, Nepal’s opponent will be determined today, Sunday, following their clash against Sri Lanka at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, India. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:45 PM Nepali time.

The head coach of the Nepali women’s team, Nabin Neupane, stated that he views the match against Sri Lanka as an opportunity for the team to improve. “We couldn’t score as many goals as expected against Bhutan. Therefore, our focus before the semifinal will be on making our finishing effective. In crucial matches like the semifinals, you only get one or two opportunities, and we must capitalize on them,” he says.

The reigning runners-up Nepal started their SAFF Championship journey on May 25 with a 1-0 victory over Bhutan. However, playing without key striker Sabitra Bhandari ‘Samba’, forward Sabita Rana Magar, and midfielder Preeti Rai, Nepal failed to deliver an impressive performance.

Coach Nabin Neupane (left) .

Bhutan is not considered a strong team. Out of their five previous encounters, Nepal had won four. However, during the tournament held at the Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwor in 2024, Nepal was held to a goalless draw by Bhutan. Samba was absent from the Nepali squad at that time as well. Even though Rashmi Kumari Ghising and Amisha Karki led the frontline, Nepal failed to defeat Bhutan for the first time.

Back then, Nepal had created more than half a dozen chances but failed to score. The same weakness was exposed this time around. However, a goal scored by center-back Gita Rana in the 23rd minute saved Nepal from another disappointing result.

Head coach Neupane credits this to Bhutan’s strong defense. “Bhutan played with a low-block, which made it difficult for us to find goals. Bhutan arrived here only four days ago and got to train for just one day. That’s why we should have scored more goals,” he says.

Helpless Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s biggest achievement in the SAFF Women’s Championship so far has been reaching the semifinals three times. They made it to the final four in the 2012, 2014, and 2019 editions. However, their performance has steadily declined in the subsequent three editions.

This time too, Sri Lanka is at risk of crashing out from the group stage. Having suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against Bhutan in their opening match, Sri Lanka now faces the daunting challenge of defeating Nepal by at least 5-0 in their final match. A draw or a loss will end their journey right in the group stage.

From this group, Bhutan has already reached the semifinals with three points. Whether the match between Nepal and Sri Lanka ends in a draw or if either team loses, Bhutan is guaranteed to finish as the group runners-up.

Nepali players training ahead of their match against Sri Lanka.

Nothing is impossible in football. However, Sri Lanka’s past performance against Nepal is remarkably weak. Sri Lanka has lost all matches played against Nepal in the past six editions of SAFF. Even more notable is that while Nepal has scored 23 goals in those matches, Sri Lanka has failed to score a single one in return. Out of those 23 goals, Nepal scored 12 in just the last two editions alone. Both of those editions were hosted in Nepal, and both matches were in the group stage.

Prior to that, in 2012 and 2019, Nepal secured its place in the finals by defeating Sri Lanka 3-0 and 4-0 respectively in the semifinals. In other editions as well, Nepal secured comfortable victories against Sri Lanka in the group stage.

The struggle to score

Missing out on scoring goals when it matters most is an old problem for the Nepali team.

This time, the team is missing striker Samba along with forwards Amisha Karki, Sabita Rana Magar, and midfielder Preeti Rai. Samba is currently undergoing knee treatment in Qatar. Sabita is also injured, while Amisha is undergoing Second Lieutenant training. Preeti, who is busy in the Cambodian League, will only arrive in Goa if Nepal reaches the semifinals. In the absence of these players, forwards Rekha Paudel and Rashmi Kumari Ghising, along with forwards Meena Deuba and Anita Lamjel, have received opportunities.

“In the absence of Samba, other players have received opportunities in those positions. Now they must prove themselves. They need to show that they are also excellent players,” says head coach Neupane. “The country has given them the opportunity; it is up to the players to prove themselves.”

Anita, who plays in the domestic league for the departmental team Tribhuvan Army, made her debut in the match against Bhutan. However, she failed to make an impact. She was substituted by Saru Limbu in the 46th minute. On the other hand, with eight minutes remaining in the first half, Rashmi and Rekha missed golden opportunities. Following that, Meena’s goal was ruled offside, forcing Nepal to settle for a mere 1-0 result against Bhutan.

Ready against any team

At one time, India held a total monopoly over SAFF football. They won the title by defeating Nepal in four out of the first five editions. In the 2016 edition, they lifted the trophy by defeating Nepal in the semifinals and sidelining Bangladesh. However, Nepal and Bangladesh are now emerging as superior teams to India. Nepal secured its place in successive finals by defeating India in the semifinals of both the 2022 and 2024 editions. On the flip side, Bangladesh has repeatedly denied Nepal from lifting the trophy after Nepal defeated India.

On a positive note, Nepal has been defeating India outside of SAFF recently as well. Last year, during the Tri-Nation Cup held in Shillong, India under the FIFA window, Nepal sidelined the host nation India with a 2-1 victory. Samba scored both goals in that match. Following that, in another unofficial match played in Gangtok, Nepal defeated India 3-0 in a penalty shootout. However, Samba was absent from that match, and India had fielded its U-20 players.

When it comes to Bangladesh, Nepal has only encountered them in the SAFF Championship. Nepal, which lost 3-1 in the SAFF final at the Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar on September 19, was left disappointed with a 2-1 loss in the last edition.

Head coach Neupane, however, claims that the gap between teams in South Asian football has narrowed recently. “Right now, apart from India, teams like Nepal and Bangladesh are also performing well. We have already beaten India during the FIFA window. This tournament is very important for us. Therefore, we are ready to play against any team,” he says.