Bangladesh lose SAFF crown to India

Bangladesh produced a much better performance than previous matches yet fell short of defending their SAFF Women’s Championship title, suffering a 3-1 defeat to hosts India in the final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao on Saturday.

The women in red and green had been bidding to become the first team other than India to win three consecutive SAFF titles. Having lifted the previous two editions after India had won the first five, Bangladesh entered the final with a chance to create history but ultimately had to settle for the runners-up trophy.

The tournament had been far from straightforward for Bangladesh. The team arrived in Goa without several of the experienced players who formed the backbone of their previous title-winning campaigns, including Sabina Khatun, Krishna Rani Sarkar, Masura Parvin and Sanjida Akter. The squad also had to cope with the emotional blow of defender Sheuli Azim's mother's sudden death during the tournament, an event that deeply affected the players ahead of the semifinal against Nepal.

Their form had also been inconsistent. Bangladesh scraped past Maldives 4-2 in their opening match, suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to India in the group stage and looked below their usual standards against Nepal despite reaching the final.

Yet Peter Butler's side rose to the occasion in the title decider.

Bangladesh nearly took the lead inside the opening 15 minutes but both Shamsunnahar Jr and Tohura Khatun failed to convert promising opportunities. While Bangladesh controlled large spells in midfield, India also created chances in an evenly contested first half.

Tohura came close again midway through the half, narrowly missing the far post, before India struck against the run of play in the 41st minute. A move down the left flank ended with Pyari Xaxa's shot taking a deflection off Suravi Akter Arfin before finding the net.

Bangladesh responded positively and almost equalised three minutes later when Anika Siddiqui was denied by Indian goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu. Their reward arrived just before the break as Ritu Porna Chakma slotted home from inside the box after being picked out by Tohura.

However, Bangladesh's hopes suffered an immediate setback after the restart. Just a minute into the second half, substitute Sanfida Nongrum headed home a cross from the left to restore India's lead.

Bangladesh continued to push forward and Shamsunnahar Jr came close to levelling in the 51st minute, but India gradually gained greater control after coach Crispin Chettri introduced fresh legs.

The decisive blow arrived in the 81st minute when Lynda Kom finished clinically to put the result beyond doubt.