Eyes on the prize

Barely a month after sharing the champions trophy with India, albeit following a bit of controversy, Bangladesh will square off against their next-door neighbours once again – this time in the SAFF Under-16 Women's Championship – in Kathmandu today.

The final will kick off at the ANFA Complex ground at 3:15pm Bangladesh time.

The girls in red and green have been perfect in the four-team competition, beating all three opponents quite comprehensively including a 3-1 win against India in the round-robin stage. But the final is a different ball-game, Bangladesh coach Saiful Bari Titu felt.

"The best two teams are playing in the final. Final is always a final. Anything can happen. You have to give respect to each other's strengths and try to exploit the weaknesses. We are hoping to put on a very good show in the final. Let's hope it will be a memorable final for all of us," Titu told the media at a pre-final press conference yesterday.

Although Bangladesh won all three matches, they have scored far less than India, who thrashed Nepal 10-0 in their last match. Titu is wary of the Indian threat and feels the team that makes lesser mistakes in the final will win it.

"We have played each other once, so both teams know about the opposition well. So those things will be part of the plan. But the execution is more important. Furthermore, there will be nerves in the final. So whichever team makes lesser mistakes will come out on top," said the veteran coach, who has been in charge of the women's teams since the departure of Golam Rabbani Choton last year.

India coach Biby Thomas Muttath wants to forget the round-robin matches and wants his side to rectify the past mistakes.

"Tomorrow is a new day and let's forget the past. We have done very well and we're all calm and ready for the final," Muttath said. "The only worry is the silly mistakes. The kids know about those and the important thing is to get rid of those mistakes."