Sports
Nepal win, set up title clash with favourites Uzbekistan
Nepal will now take on Uzbekistan in the championship clash on Thursday.Sports Bureau
Nepal defeated Tajikistan 1-0 in their last group match to enter into the final of the Nadezhda Cup at the Central Stadium in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday.
Star striker Sabirtra Bhandari netted the all-important goal in the 85th as Nepal finished the round-robin league as runners-up to Uzbekistan. Bhandari headed in Gita Rana's freekick to score the winner and take her international goal tally to 33. She now remains only two-goal shy of all-time highest scorer Anu Lama, the former Nepali international footballer. Lama holds the record of 35 goals.
Nepal will now take on Uzbekistan in the championship clash on Thursday. Nepal had lost 2-0 to Uzbekistan on Monday after beating hosts Kyrgyzstan 8-2 in their opening match on Sunday. The tournament offers group winners and runners-up places in the final. Bottom two teams will play in the third-place playoff.
Nepal are competing in the tournament to fine-tune the preparations for the 13th South Asian Games set to be held from December 1 to 10. Nepal are the runners-up of the women's football in the last two editions of the regional meet, losing to India in the final on both the occasions.