Sports
Nepal’s wait for first silverware continues with Myanmar loss
Nepal’s wait for a first ever silverware in the women’s football continued on Friday after a 3-1 defeat against Myanmar in the Hero Women’s Cup football tournament final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India, on Friday.Sports Bureau
Nepal’s wait for a first ever silverware in the women’s football continued on Friday after a 3-1 defeat against Myanmar in the Hero Women’s Cup football tournament final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India, on Friday.
Yee Yee Oo struck twice and Win Theingi Tun added the another for Myanmar, while Manjali Kumari Yonjan replied for Nepal. Nepali women’s team have never won a title since entering the international arena in 1986 through AFC Women’s Championship. They failed to clinch the SAFF Women’s Championship thrice, losing in the finals of the biannual tournament in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
They also lost the title showdown against India in the 2010 and 2016 South Asian Games. While Nepal finally ended their losing streak against the India during the league stage match of the tournament, they once again fell just short.
Nepal had opened the tournament with a 3-0 loss against Myanmar, the tournament favourite who are 44th in the FIFA Women’s World rankings, before defeating India and Iran in the next two games to secure a place in the final. At 108th, Nepal are far behind Myanmar in the FIFA rankings. The two teams also played in the first round of the Asian Qualifier for 2020 Olympics, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
On Friday, Yee Yee opened the scoring for Myanmar in the 35th minute but Yonjon drew level for Nepal in the 45th minute. Gita delivered a freekick into the area and the ball dropped nicely for Manjali to chipped over and into the net. However, Myanmar retained the lead when Win Theingi Tun struck in the 53rd minute. Yee Yee sealed the victory added her second and the team’s third goal in the 63rd minute.