India fell short of a title conquest, losing to Bangladesh 3-2 in the penalty shootout during the SAFF U16 Women’s Championship final here on Sunday.
Both the teams were tied at 1-1 after the regulation time.
India took an early lead, thanks to Anushka Kumari’s strike in the fourth minute. As Bonifilia Shullai played a long through ball, the striker ran wide of the defenders and executed a perfect shot into the far bottom corner.
The Bangladeshis could barely manage possession in the opening half, as the Indians led during the break. In the second half, Bangladesh had better control, resulting in things getting competitive.
In the 70th minute, the Bangladeshis equalised through an own goal by Shveta Rani. As Indian goalkeeper Munni tried to punch a corner away, it resulted in the ball bouncing off Shveta and Mariam Binta Hanna’s combination and into the goal.
Although the Indians produced some half-chances in the remainder of the play, they failed to find the winner. Meanwhile, Surajmuni Kumari was brought in as the substitute keeper for India just seconds before the full-time.
Surajmuni made a save during the shootout, but the opposing goalkeeper Begum was the star, handing Bangladesh the title. Anuskha ended the competition as the top scorer, netting six goals.
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