Bangladesh win SAFF women’s title

Bangladesh women’s champions in SAFF game 2022 returned to Dhaka on September 21, 2022. The members of the team were given a rousing reception at the Airport where the team members were profusely garlanded and they travelled to the city in an open-air bus.

Bangladesh made history by clinching their maiden title in the SAFF Women’s Championship with a 3-1 win over hosts Nepal in the final at the crowd-packed Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Krishna Rani Sarkar scored a brace after substitute forward Shamsunnahar Jr had given Bangladesh an early lead to propel Bangladesh to South Asian supremacy, breaking the hearts of the hosts.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the first half on a rain-soaked pitch, Bangladesh came under tremendous pressure from the hosts, who pulled one back in the 70th minute with a powerful diagonal attempt by forward Anita Basent.

However, Krishna, who scored the second goal for Bangladesh in the 42nd minute of the match following the opener in the 13th minute, ensured Bangladesh’s victory with another expert finish in the 77th minute.

This was the first time Bangladesh won against five-time finalists Nepal in four meetings in six editions of the competition, and this was also the first time that a team apart from India won the title since the beginning of the competition in 2010.

But this year, Bangladesh maintained their all-win-run, scoring 23 goals in five games and conceding only once in the final.

Bangladesh skipper Sabina Khatun became the top scorer of the tournament, netting a total of eight goals in five games.

Sabina, who scored two hat-tricks—against Pakistan in the group stage and Bhutan in the semi-final—was also named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Bangladesh goalkeeper Rupna Chakma, who conceded only a single goal throughout the tournament, was named as the best goalkeeper of the tournament. As a team, Bangladesh also won the Fairplay award.