Nepal’s chance for the SAFF U17 Women’s Championship title is almost over after they lost 1-4 to Bangladesh at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Wednesday.

In the tournament, the four participating teams, including hosts Bhutan and India, are playing one another in a double round-robin format. The team with the most points will be crowned the champions.

Nepal were facing Bangladesh for the second time on Wednesday after losing 0-3 in the previous game on August 24.

Bangladesh’s Sauravi Akanda Prity scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win, while the other goal was scored by Thuinuye Marma. The two were also on the scoresheet during their win over Nepal three days ago.

Marma scored the first goal of the match in the 39th minute, with the referee allowing the advantage of what looked like a handball outside Nepal’s box. She left four Nepali players in awe to take the ball inside the box and net it to the far corner.

Prity then made it 2-0 with the half-time regulation time coming to an end. She shot the ball over Nepali goalkeeper Laxmi Oli while she tried stopping her by coming forward.

Nepal’s skipper Bhumika Budhathoki brought Nepal back to the game when she capitalised on a mistake by Bangladeshi defenders in the third minute of additional time; the first half then ended at a score of 1-2.

Nepal held the score until over 20 minutes left on the clock. However, in the 71st minute, Prity was there in the far corner to give the ball, crossed from the corner spot, a direction towards the back of the net.

As the rain turned heavy, Prity completed her hat-trick with one of the easiest goals she would get to score. Inside the six-yard box, Prity was provided the ball from the right flank, which she just needed to guide past Oli.

“Our girls played better today than in the last fixture against Bangladesh,” Nepal’s head coach Chet Narayan Shrestha said in the post-match conference. “We will come back stronger in the upcoming games.”

With the loss, Nepal now have only one win in four games and are third in the points table. The win came against hosts Bhutan on August 22. India top the table with four wins in four games and are followed by Bangladesh with three wins in four games. India registered their fourth straight win, defeating Bhutan 5-0 in the second game on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bhutan suffered their fourth consecutive loss in the tournament and are at the bottom.

Nepal will now face India on August 29 and Bhutan on August 31.