A rousing riposte from Bangladesh

Under pressure following a listless 1-1 draw against Pakistan in their first match and destabilised by the talk of rift between the coach and senior players becoming public, Bangladesh couldn't have come up with a better response than their 3-1 win against five-time SAFF Women's Championship winners India in their final Group A fixture at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu yesterday.

Tohura Khatun scored a brace after Afeida Khandaker's opener as Bangladesh blew away India with a three-goal burst inside the first 42 minutes to raise hopes of an encore of last edition's result against their more storied neighbours. India, however, dented that hope with a goal back in the first half and had quite a few chances to score more after the break, but Peter Butler's charges held on to the two-goal cushion to qualify for the semifinals as group winners.

Butler, who was openly criticised by midfielder Monika Chakma for not preferring senior players ahead of the second match, decided to go with two changes from the first match, bringing in experienced midfielder Maria Manda in place of Sapna Rani and Masura Parvin in defence, replacing the inexperienced Sohagi Kisku.

Maria's inclusion, especially, gave the midfield the much-needed defensive solidity, with Monika Chakma allowed to roam more freely while captain Sabina Khatun, although not quite in her elements, operated from a deeper position.

The opening goal, though, came from a defender as Afeida Khandaker chipped home from inside the box after India goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu could only half-clear a corner-kick from Sabina in the 18th minute.

Rituporna, a handful for the India defence down the left, saw her shot come off the crossbar eight minutes later before setting up Tohura to bundle home at the far post on the 29th minute.

Bangladesh were relentless as they continued to pour forward and one of those moves culminated in the third goal on 42 minutes, Tohura's powerful shot from outside the box on a set-up from Shamsunnahar Jr gave the India goalkeeper no chance.

Bangladesh goalkeeper Rupna Chakma, at the other end, had a mixed bag as she made a couple of fumbles, including one in the 44th minute when she let a cross slip through her hands, allowing India's all-time leading scorer Bala Devi to head home.

The Bangladesh goalkeeper made amends, though, with a string of valiant saves in the second half as India looked to get more out of this game after having brushed aside Pakistan with a 5-2 win in the tournament opener.

Despite India's dominance, the scoreline remained same as Bangladesh players and officials celebrated a much-deserved and much-needed victory.

Butler's charges will have to wait till today to learn their semifinal opponents, the runners-up from Group B.