ISLAMABAD: Nepal thrashed Bhutan 8-0 to emerge as a strong threat to defending champions India in the SAFF Women’s Championship here at the Jinnah Stadium on Wednesday.

India clinched the trophy defeating Nepal at the last edition of the SAFF event in Sri Lanka two years ago.

In the second match of the event, Nepal simply bludgeoned Bhutan with captain Anu Lama, Dipa Adhikari and Sajna Rana scoring two goals each.

Mid-fielder Sajna opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Nenuka Giri made it 2-0 in the 22nd before the skipper recorded a brace in 36th and 38th minutes.

In the 45th minute, striker Sajna scored another goal as Nepal ended the first half enjoying a massive 5-0 lead.

In the second half, Nepali continued their domination scoring three more goals.

Following in the footsteps of her captain, vice-captain Dipa scored two goals in the 61st and 84th minutes.

Meanwhile, Bhutan goalkeeper Kuenzang Choden suffered a minor injury as she attempted to block advancing Dipa in the 84th minute, resulting in both the players colliding with each other.

In the dying minutes, Sabitra Bhandari scored a beautiful goal in the process registering a resounding 8-0 victory for Nepal.

“We were looking for a sound start in the tournament and we did it with a convincing victory,” a jubilant Anu Lama told Dawn.

She reckoned India were a tough team to beat, saying: “We have a special plan to counter India in this tournament.”

Like the first day, the fans attendance remained very low on Wednesday as hardly 150 spectators witnessed the match at the stadium that can house around 60,000.

It seems that the Pakistan Football Federation and the Pakistan Sports Board didn’t do enough campaigning to make aware citizens of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi about the high-profile championship featuring teams from eight South Asian countries.

Thursday’s fixtures:

India vs Maldives (11:00am)

Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (2:30pm).

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2014