Himal Press 
POKHARA: Nepal secured their first win in the ongoing SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship, defeating Bhutan 2-1 at the Pokhara Stadium on Sunday.
Sirjana Buduwal and Prajita Rai scored for Nepal, while Sonam Chhoden got a consolation goal for Bhutan.
Attacking midfielder Sangita put Nepal ahead in the 35th minute when she advanced toward the Bhutanese goal from the right side and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, which sailed past the Bhutanese keeper into the net.
Prajita Rai doubled Nepal’s score in the 69th minute when she utilized a beautiful pass from Barsha Oli.
Substitute Sonam got one back for Bhutan when she capitalized on a lack of communication between Nepali centerback Minmaya Shrestha and keeper Jharana Dumrakoti.
Nepal suffered a 0-1 loss to India in their first match on Saturday.
The hosts, who have three points after two matches, will meet Bangladesh in the final round-robin match on Wednesday. A win over Bangladesh will strengthen their chances of securing a place in the final.
In the first match of the day, Bangladesh defeated India 2-0. Bangladesh, which defeated Bhutan 12-0 in their first match, have almost secured their spot in the final with six points from two matches. India and Nepal have three points each.
The championship features four SAFF members – Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India. Each side plays the other once in the round-robin format. The best two sides after the round-robin stage qualify for the final.
