India crash out of SAFF Women’s Championship 2024 amidst off-field chaos

Kathmandu: India crashed out of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024 when they went down to Nepal 2-4 in penalty shoot-outs in the semi-finals played at the Dasharath Stadium on Sunday. Played in front of a packed house, the shoot-out was applied after the full-time ended in a 1-1 draw in a match that witnessed more drama off the pitch than inside. Once India took the lead in the 62nd minute through Sangita Basfore’s brilliant shot from well outside the box and Nepal scored an equaliser that was denied by the referee, the match was held up for more than 70 minutes as the host side refused to continue protesting the referee’s decision. The scene on the pitch during this period was of utter confusion with some histrionics displayed by a section of the players and officials, mostly from the home side. The referee Om Choki from Bhutan waited patiently for more than an hour and after lots of discussion between the supervising officials and the Nepal side, the match resumed. The long wait, absolute confusion and a complete air of uncertainty definitely hampered the rhythm as the Indian side could not regain their control over the proceedings. Soon after the restart, Nepal equalised through Sabitra Bhandari that ultimately proved crucial in stretching the game beyond 90 minutes. In the tie-breaker, Nepal managed to convert all four of their initial attempts, while only Manisha and Karishma Shirvoikar could find the target for India. Skipper Ashalata Devi and Ranjana Chanu were the two who missed for the Blue Tigresses Nepal will play Bangladesh in the final. In the first semi-final, Bangladesh routed Bhutan 7-1. — IANS