The South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship (6th edition) tournament 2022 will end with a match between Bangladesh and Nepal. The Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu will host the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 final, Bangladesh v Nepal, on September 19 (Monday). Both teams have been in fantastic shape, winning games by large margins since the start of the competition. Therefore, no team will start the final as the favourite. Let’s look at how Nepal and Bangladesh progressed to the championship game.
SAFF Women’s Championship 2022: Group Phase Points Standings
Two teams had advanced to the semifinals from each group in the 2022 South Asian Football Federation Women’s championship. Bangladesh and India had both qualified for the last four from Group A. Nepal and Bhutan, on the other hand, finished first and second in Group B, respectively, to qualify for the semifinals. Both Bangladesh and Nepal are the two unbeaten sides in the ongoing competition. Therefore, the runner-up team will concede their first defeat in the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship final.
SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 – Group A Points Table
SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 – Group B Points Table
Bangladesh’s Road to the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 Final
Bangladesh started the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship campaign as one of the favourites to play in the final. But the way the Bangladesh women’s team has dominated the competition is truly remarkable. In particular, Bangladesh’s dominating 3-0 triumph over a strong Indian side was an indication that they are a team to beat. They eventually finished the group stage by finishing first with three wins. But, their 8-0 thumping over Bhutan in the semifinal was the second biggest margin of victory in the ongoing competition.
Bangladesh’s match results in the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship, so far;
Date: 07/09/2022 | Opposition: Maldives | Result: Bangladesh won by a score of 3-0
Date: 10/09/2022 | Opposition: Pakistan | Result: Bangladesh won by a score of 6-0
Date: 13/09/2022 | Opposition: India | Result: Bangladesh won by a score of 3-0
Date: 16/09/2022 | Opposition: Bhutan | Result: Bangladesh won by a score of 8-0.
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Nepal’s Road to the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship Final
The host Nepal started the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 campaign as one of the hot favourites to win the trophy. Expectedly, the Nepal women’s team has shown their true prowess in the competition by registering dominating wins over Bhutan and Sri Lanka respectively in the group phase. Nepal had to fight hard in the semifinal match against India. They eventually held on to their first-half goal by Rashmi Kumari Ghising. With that hard-fought victory, Nepal secured a place in the final.
Nepal’s match results in SAFF Women’s Championship 2022, so far;
Date: 06/09/2022 | Opposition: Bhutan | Result: Nepal beat Bhutan 4-0
Date: 12/09/2022 | Opposition: Sri Lanka | Result: Nepal beat Sri Lanka 6-0
Date: 16/09/2022 | Opposition: India | Result: Nepal beat India 1-0
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Key Players for the Final and Predicted playing XI
Both teams have possessed some difference-makers who have performed exceedingly well in the ongoing event. Let’s have a look at the players who could be important in the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 final.
Bangladesh
The most important player for Bangladesh in this tournament is captain Sabina Khatun. She has been in fine form in the competition and leads the team’s forward lineup. Sabina has found the net eight times, including two hat-tricks. The 28-year-old forward is currently the highest goalscorer in the tournament. Besides, Mosammat Sirat Jahan Shopna is also doing well as she has scored four times in this competition.
The Bangladesh women’s team’s defense has been very strong as they have yet to concede a goal in the competition. Goalkeeper Rupa Chakma will face some tough tests along with the four players in the backline. The Bangladesh team’s backline needs to show their good discipline and consistency in the final match as well.
Probable Playing XI (Bangladesh)
Rupna Chakma, Sheuli Azim, Shamsunnahar Sr, Akhi Khatun, Masura Parvin, Monika Chakma, Sanjida Akhter, Maria Manda, Krishna Rani Sarkar, Sirat Jahan Shopna, Sabina Khatun.
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Nepal
The host Nepal’s main strength is that their midfielders and forwards are all well capable of putting the ball back into the net. Therefore, no particular player has scored tons of goals. In contrast, all have contributed in the case of scoring goals in the opposition net. So far, Sabitra Bhandari, Amisha Karki, and Rashmi Kumari Ghising have all scored two goals each for the Nepal side so far.
Like Bangladesh, Nepal’s side is yet to concede a goal in this event. So, they also have shown good defensive solidarity. However, Bangladesh’s forwards have been in tremendous form, and the host’s biggest challenge will be to restrict Sabina Khatun and Sirat Jahan Shopna in front of their defense. They need to tighten their defense so that neither of the players finds a space to score. Goalkeeper Anjila Subba and the defenders need to be alerted all the time to not give the Bangladesh strikers any scope to score.
Probable Playing XI (Nepal)
Anjila Subba, Punam Magar, Amrita Jaishi, Sara Limbu, Dipa Shahi, Hira Bhujel, Anita KC, Gita Rana, Amisha Karkil, Rashmi Ghising, Anita Basnet.
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Where to Watch SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 Final: Bangladesh vs Nepal
The Bangladesh vs Nepal SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 final is unlikely to be shown on television. However, interested fans can watch the final match between Bangladesh Women and Nepal Women through Elevensports.com. The live-action will begin at 5.15 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time) on September 19.
Bottom Line
India participated in and won each of the first five South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship finals. But the Indian women’s side failed to reach the final in the 2022 edition after losing to host Nepal by 1-0 in the semifinal match. Nepal will play their fifth final on Monday (September 19) but have lost on every occasion against the Indian side. The only other team who has featured in the final is Bangladesh in 2016.
So, this will be Bangladesh’s second championship match. The Bangladesh vs Nepal SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 final is predicted to be a hotly contested match since both teams are in excellent shape.
Source: United News of Bangladesh