Nepal's winning start against Bhutan was marked by a goal from Geeta Rana at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Nepal won to win, but wasn't this victory heartwarming? Nepal got off to a winning start in the SAFF Women's Championship on Monday. That was by scoring a one-goal win over Bhutan. The way this victory went, it has made it easier for Nepal to reach the semi-finals of the competition. After the win, Nepal has 3 points. Now, Nepal will be able to play comfortably when they face Sri Lanka in their second match of Group 'A' on Sunday. But based on Nepal's initial performance, the game was not satisfactory.
'There is no need to worry about this result,' claims Nepali coach Naveen Neupan. While appearing before the media after the game, he said, 'The team arrived in Goa only yesterday, so the players have not been able to get used to the heat here.' Its effect was also felt in this game. It has been 3-4 days since Bhutan arrived in Goa. Now we will get five days of rest and by then the situation will be favorable.’
This was a relief result for Nepal. Two years ago, Bhutan held Nepal to a goalless draw in the previous edition. This time too, the Bhutanese team was happy with the current result. Bhutanese coach Tain Kim said, ‘Losing to Nepal by just one goal is like a victory from our defense’s point of view. The goal was scored in our defense, if we forget this mistake, our defense stopped Nepal’s attack.’
This South Korean coach also had a complaint. According to him, the Bhutanese team did not get a chance to practice before such a big competition. With this result, at least Nepal’s dominance over Bhutan continued. In women’s football, Nepal has won 5 of the 6 matches between these two teams so far. In all these 6 matches, Nepal has not given Bhutan a single goal . Captain and goalkeeper Angela Subba has continued the tradition and has maintained a 'clean sheet' this time too .
Goal or self-destructive ?
The decisive moment of the match at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium came in the 23rd minute, when Geeta Rana's shot 'defective' and went towards the post . Its form was more like an own goal, but the match commissioner did not hesitate to give Geeta the credit for it . Geeta's number of goals for Nepal has now reached 5 . Coach Neupane has also accepted the second victory for the Nepali women's team . This is the fifth match that Nepal has played under his leadership .
He also gave Anita Lamzel a debut opportunity against Bhutan . He included Anita in the starting 11. But she lasted only the first half and was replaced by Sabina Chaudhary, who is making a comeback to the national team. In the post-match conference, coach Neupon expressed his happiness over Anita's performance. He said, "I am satisfied with Anita's performance. Savitra Bhandari was missing in this game, but it is also giving opportunities to new players." Nepali team: Angela Subba (captain), Pooja Rana, Bimala Bik, Hirakumari Bhujel (Saru Limbu), Renuka Nagarkote, Anita Basnet (Meena Deuba), Geeta Rana, Rekha Poudel (Anita KC), Rashmikumari Ghising, Anita Lamjel (Sabina Chaudhary) and Deepa Shahi.
