Nepal thrashes Laos 9-0 in its 100th international match

KATHMANDU: Nepal marked its 100th international match with a 9-0 thrashing of Laos in the opening match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sunday.

Sabitra Bhandari, aka Samba, scored five goals in her first outing as the captain of the national side, while Anita Basnet, Saru Limbu, Anita KC and Rashmi Kumari Ghising scored a goal each for Nepal in the largely one-sided affair.

Nepal, which led Laos 2-0 at halftime, scored seven times in the second half to complete the rout. Anita Basnet opened the scoring for Nepal in the 12th minute when Sabitra Rana Magar’s cross was headed into her path by Samba. She unleashed a powerful shot into the right corner of the post.

Basnet turned provider for Nepal’s second goal as Samba connected to Basnet’s cross with a header to put Nepal 2-0 up in the second half.

Saru scored for Nepal in the 50th minute, while Samba got her second and Nepal’s fourth five minutes later.

Rashmi Kumari Ghising scored Nepal’s fifth in the 56th minute from Renuka Nagarkoti’s pass.

Samba completed her hat-trick in the 75th minute and added her fourth minutes later.

Substitute Anita KC scored Nepal’s eighth in the 83rd minute, while Samba got her fifth goal in the 88th minute. Her powerful shot was diverted into the post by a Laos defender.

Nepal will play its next match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.