SATV 21 July, Kathmandu: Nepal's U-20 women's football team delivered yet another dominant performance in the ongoing SAFF U-20 Women's Championship, thrashing Bhutan 8-0 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka on Saturday.

The emphatic victory sees Nepal collect their fourth win from five matches in the double round-robin tournament, keeping them firmly in contention for the championship title. With 12 points now in the bag, Nepal will face hosts Bangladesh in what is expected to be a title-deciding clash on Monday.

Nepal wasted no time asserting their superiority, with Meena Deuba opening the scoring in just the first minute of play. By half-time, Nepal were already leading 6-0 in what turned into a completely one-sided affair.

An own goal in the ninth minute, following a powerful strike from Samiksha Ghimire that deflected off the crossbar and the Bhutanese goalkeeper, doubled Nepal’s advantage. Meena struck again in the 12th minute to make it 3-0, before setting up Purnima Rai in the 23rd for Nepal’s fourth.

Purnima added two more goals during first-half stoppage time, a headed finish from a Sarita Kumari free-kick, followed by a swift close-range strike, to complete her hat-trick and give Nepal an unassailable lead going into the break.

Nepal added two more goals in the second half. Kusum Khatiwada scored in the 63rd minute, and a minute later, Meena Deuba completed her own hat-trick with a clinical finish, bringing the tally to 8-0. The second half saw fewer clear-cut chances, but Nepal’s defence remained resolute to keep a clean sheet.

This was Nepal’s most prolific performance in the tournament so far, bettering their previous high-scoring wins over Sri Lanka (7-0 in both encounters) and Bhutan (6-1 in their earlier meeting).

The SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship is being played in a double round-robin format involving four teams: Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Each team plays the others twice, and the side with the most points at the end of the round-robin stage will be crowned champions.

Nepal currently sits at the top of the table with 12 points from five matches. Bangladesh also has 12 points but has played one match fewer. The two sides are set to meet in a decisive final group match on Monday, which will likely determine the tournament winner.

Earlier in the tournament, Nepal opened their campaign with a 6-1 win over Bhutan, followed by a narrow 3-2 loss to hosts Bangladesh. However, they bounced back strongly with back-to-back 7-0 victories over Sri Lanka before dismantling Bhutan once again.

With momentum firmly on their side and attacking stars like Meena Deuba and Purnima Rai in sensational form, Nepal will go into Monday’s showdown against Bangladesh with confidence and purpose. A win will secure the championship title for Nepal, while a draw may not suffice depending on Bangladesh’s performance against Sri Lanka.