Nepal have entered into the final of SAFF Women’s Championship after earning a hard fought victory against India on Sunday, October 27.
The Gorkhalis, which were reduced to 10 players in the early minutes of the second half after the star forward Rekha Paudel received the second yellow card of the match, succeeded to hold the Blue Tigresses in a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes of the play. However, unlike the normal rule, the game was taken straight to the tie-breaker.
While none of the first four Nepali players missed the penalty, only two Indian players could score. Nepal's Sabitra Bhandari, Gita Rana, Sabita Rana Magar and Amisha Karki did not miss the penalties while India's skipper Ashalata Devi Loitongbam hit the post and Nepal's substitute goalkeeper Anjana Rana Magar saved Chanu Sorokhaibam's penalty.
The match between the arch-rivals had some controversial moments.
Both teams created some wonderful chances in the first half but failed to find each other’s nets. The referee, Om Choki, denied Nepal a penalty for a handball by India's Wangkhem Linthoingambi Devi inside the penalty area in the 35th minute.
The match also saw the involvement of the crowd. Nepali fans only got louder with every passing minute.
Tension only intensified in the second half when the game had to be halted for over an hour in the second half.
First, for some minutes, after Paudel was sent off in the 51st minute. Nepali players as well as the crowd showed strong dissatisfaction for the decision.
Shortly after, the Blue Tigresses added salt to the wounds of the Gorkhalis as Sangita Basfore scored a spectacular goal in 62nd minute to give visitors the lead.
The subsequent developments were nothing less than a high voltage drama.
The Indian team were still celebrating when the referee allowed Nepal to start the play. The Gorkhalis, taking full advantage of the opportunity, scored on an empty post. India protested. The referee denied the goal.
Then it was Nepal’s turn to protest the decision. The game was halted as Nepali players demanded the referee to reevaluate her decision. As the Nepali camp underwent discussions, the Indian camp kept its cool.
The security conditions were tightened in the stadium.
The game resumed after Nepal finally decided to go on with the referee’s decision.
It was the night for Nepal’s star forward Sabitra Bhandari, better known as Samba, to shine.
She brought Nepal back into the game by levelling the score in the 66th minute, soon after the game resumed. The yellow-card receiving celebration, which followed, surely will not be forgotten by over 15,000 fans in the stadium and nearly 500,000 watching live on the official youtube broadcast.
Sambaa took off her shirt, threw it on the ground and went on to kick one of the advertising boards, while being embraced by her teammates.
A player-short Nepali team succeeded in holding India in a 1-1 draw.
Nepal had beaten India 1-0 in the last edition of the tournament, only to be defeated by Bangladesh in the final.
The host have, once again, locked horns with the defending champions Bangladesh, who thrashed Bhutan 7-1 earlier on the day to book the spot in the final scheduled for Wednesday, October 30.
