By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu (Hamro Khelkud) – Nepal have commenced their invitation to the WAFF Women’s Championship 2024 with a convincing win over Syria. Nepal toppled the Syrian side ranked 160th in the world 4-1 to get their campaign off and running with a win.
Nepal’s goals came from Amisha Karki, Anita Basnet, Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari and Rekha Poudel.
Nepal asserted their dominance from the get-go keeping possession and running rounds around the Syrian defence, forcing mistakes out of the Syrian side time and again. The first goal came from a high press from the Nepali side.
In the 10th minute, Mayar Alloush’s forward pass, amidst a cluster of Nepali forwards, landed at the feet of Preeti Rai. However, Preeti’s heavy touch and an attempt of a shot was blocked. The loose ball then fell to Amisha Karki, whose powerful strike found the back of the net.
Two minutes later, Nepal extended their lead. A corner kick taken by Anita Basnet, resulting from a save by Raneem Latifaa from Preeti Rai’s long-range shot, ended up in the back of the net, unattended.
Nepal widened their lead to three goals in the 19th minute. Amisha Karki attempted a shot after receiving a delightful through pass from Preeti Rai from her own half. Latifa initially saved Amisha’s shot but the ball remained at Amisha’s feet. Without hesitation, she passed the ball to Samba, who easily tapped it into the back of the net.
After scoring their third goal, Nepal’s dominance began to wane as Syria gradually gained momentum in the game. However, Syria struggled to pose threats to the Nepali backline. Despite this, Nepal inadvertently conceded a goal to the Syrian side. Goalkeeper Anjila Subba’s mishandling while trying to gather Nor Mustafa’s free-kick resulted in the ball deflecting off defender Gita Rana and ending up in the back of the net for an own goal.
It wasn’t until the 68th minute that Nepal managed to score their fourth goal. Samba initiated a run down the left flank after regaining possession in the final third. Her well-placed pass across the box was met by Rekha Poudel, who calmly finished the cross to reinstate Nepal’s three-goal lead.
Nepal, one of the two invited teams alongside Guam, are in Group B, alongside Palestine, Syria, and Iraq. Nepal’s second group match will be against Iraq on February 22, followed by their final group stage match against Palestine on February 24.
In Group A, defending champions Jordan are joined by Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
