Bangladesh finished as runners-up in the SAFF Under-15 Women’s Championship after a 1-1 draw against Nepal in the final league match at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Sipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur, Dhaka on Friday.
Nepal goalkeeper Sujata Tamang saved a penalty in the dying minutes of the match, breaking Bangladeshi hearts and helping Nepal win their maiden title, reports news agency BSS.
Bangladesh needed full three points to finish ahead of Nepal and win the tournament while Nepal needed to avoid defeat to lift the title.
Nepal took the lead through Sushila KC’s goal in the 15th minute. But after the breather, Bangladesh staged a brilliant fight back as skipper Ruma Akter brought her team back into the game in the 54th minute.
Bangladesh produced a number of attacks in the remaining minutes, but failed to convert any of those into a goal.
The home side’s best opportunity came in the 90th minute when referee awarded a penalty in favour of Bangladesh. But Nepal goalkeeper Sujata foiled Joynob Bibi Rita’s spot kick to help Nepal come away with a point.
Nepal finished the double round-robin tournament with 10 points from four matches. Bangladesh finished second on seven points while Bhutan finished the tournament without securing any point.
Earlier, Bangladesh crushed Bhutan 8-0 in the first leg, but suffered 0-1 defeat to Nepal in their second match.
Bangladesh bounced back from the defeat, drubbing Bhutan 9-0 in their third match.
On the other hand, Nepal won their first three matches in the tournament. They thrashed Bhutan 7-0, defeated Bangladesh 1-0 and then edged past Bhutan 1-0 in their third match.
Only three south Asian Nations – Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan -- competed in the tournament.