Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Rekha Poudel scored five, and Preeti Rai also scored a hat-trick as Nepal thrashed the Maldives 11-0 in its second group stage match of the 2024 SAFF Women’s Championship at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Monday.
This is Nepal’s biggest victory over the Maldives in SAFF. In 2016 SAFF Women’s Championship, Nepal defeated the Maldives 9-0.
Nepal scored four goals in the first half and added seven more in the second. Rekha Poudel led the scoring with five goals, while Preeti Rai completed a hat-trick. Sabita Rana Magar, Amisha Karki, and Anita KC each contributed one goal.
This is Nepal’s third biggest victory in women’s football. It trashed Afghanistan 13-0 and Pakistan 12-0 in 2010 SAFF Women’s Championship in Bangladesh.
Nepal, which played a goalless draw against Bhutan in its first match, now has four points from two matches. Bhutan, which defeated Sri Lanka 5-2 in the first match of the day, also has 4 points. However, Nepal leads the group by a better goal difference.
Preeti Rai opened the scoring in the seventh minute when she converted Sabita Rana Magar’s short corner with a shot that squeezed past two defenders and the goalkeeper. Nepal had to wait until the 29th minute for its second goal. Sabita doubled Nepal’s score with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area.
Rekha scored her first and the team’s third goal in the 32nd minute. She got her second just before halftime. Rekha completed her hat-trick early in the second half and went on to score two more goals. Preeti Rai completed her hat-trick with two more goals in the second half, and Anita KC and Amisha Karki also scored late in the game to complete the rout of the Maldives.
Nepal will play its last group-stage match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
