KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Sabitra Bhandari 'Samba' scored the decisive goal on Thursday to help Nepal beat Lebanon 1-0 and secure a place in the final of the four-nation women’s football championship.
In the match held at Dasharath Stadium, Samba scored the only goal in the 41st minute of the first half as her long-range attempt from outside the box was fumbled into the goalpost by Lebanese goalkeeper Farah El Tayar.
Pogba's decisive goal relieved Les Blues
Nepal adopted an aggressive style from the beginning of the match which exposed them to swift counter-attacks from the Lebanese side. As a result, Lebanon created several chances against Nepal, but goalkeeper Anjila Tumbappo Subba made a series of brilliant saves, fending off the possibilities of conceding a goal.
Nepal made two changes in the playing XI from their last match. Sabitra Bhandari replaced Rasmi Kumari Ghising and Samiksha Ghimire replaced injured Nisha Thokar.
Earlier, Nepal had defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0. With today's win, Nepal secured a place in the final along with Myanmar. Earlier, Myanmar defeated Kyrgyzstan 5-0 in the first match to register their second consecutive win.
Nepal still has a game to spare in the group stage of the tournament. The final group stage match between Nepal and Myanmar will serve as a warm-up to the final match between the two sides. Similarly, the two teams who did not advance to the finals, Lebanon and Kyrgyzstan, will face off in the other remaining group stage game.
