Dhaka: Meena Deuba and Purnima Rai each netted a hat-trick as Nepal secured their fourth victory in the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship, overpowering Bhutan with an 8-0 scoreline in their return match at the Bashundhara Kings practice ground-2 in the capital today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Nepal established a commanding 6-0 lead by halftime. The match saw Meena Deuba scoring her hat-trick with goals in the 1st, 12th, and 65th minutes. Purnima Rai also contributed a hat-trick, scoring in the 23rd, 45th+1st, and 46+6th minutes. Additionally, Samikshya Magar and Kusum Khatiwada added to the score with goals in the 9th and 63rd minutes, respectively, in what turned out to be a one-sided affair.
With this victory, Nepal's points tally reached 12 from five matches, equaling Bangladesh, which also has 12 points from four matches. Bhutan, on the other hand, remains with three points from the same number of outings.
Previously, Nepal defeated Bhutan 6-1, faced a 3-2 loss to Bangladesh, and achieved consecutive 7-0 victories against Sri Lanka. Bhutan, meanwhile, has recorded a 1-6 loss to Nepal, a 5-0 victory over Sri Lanka, and 4-1 and 3-0 defeats to Bangladesh in their respective matches.
The championship will continue with Nepal facing Bangladesh and Bhutan going against Sri Lanka in their final matches, scheduled for Monday.