Bangladesh defeated Nepal 3-2 in their second match of the SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship 2025 at Bashundhara Kings Arena Sunday.
Substitute Sree Moti Trishna Rani scored the winning goal in the final minute of stoppage time to secure a dramatic victory.
Sinha Jahan Shikha and Mosammat Sagorika netted for Bangladesh in a closely fought first half.
Both teams were reduced to 10 players after Sagorika and Nepal’s Simran Rai were shown straight red cards following an off-the-ball altercation.
Bangladesh had opened their campaign with a commanding 9-1 win over Sri Lanka, with Sagorika grabbing a hat-trick.
Head coach Peter Butler made two changes to the starting XI from the previous game.
Bonna Khatun and Shanti Mardi came in for Rupa Akter and Umehla Marma in midfield and attack, respectively.
Shanti played a key role in Bangladesh’s second goal.
Her pinpoint cross was initially met by Shikha, whose two efforts were saved by Nepal goalkeeper Tamang Sujata.
However, Sujata stood no chance with the third attempt, a fierce strike by Sagorika in the 36th minute.
Shikha had earlier opened the scoring in the 13th minute.
Munki Akter dribbled past two defenders inside the box and sent a shot between Sujata’s legs, only for Rokyaya Ganga to clear it off the line.
The clearance landed at Shikha’s feet near the post, and she smashed it home.
Nepal had their chances too.
Anisha Rai's free-kick rattled the woodwork two minutes before the half-hour mark, while Meena Deuba’s effort in the 43rd minute was tipped away by Bangladesh keeper Swarna Rani Mandal.
In the second half, Shikha came close again, sending one shot wide and seeing another saved.
Nepal pulled one back in the 77th minute through a penalty converted by Anisha, after Meena was fouled inside the box.
Meena then equalized in the 86th minute with a sliding finish.
The winning goal came in dramatic fashion in the 12th minute of stoppage time - five minutes beyond the initially allotted seven - when Trishna latched onto a cross from fellow substitute Umehla and found the back of the net.
“We were under pressure after Nepal scored two goals. I’m very happy to score the winning goal,” Trishna said after the match.
Earlier in the day, Bhutan thrashed Sri Lanka 5-0 at the same venue.
The four-team tournament follows a round-robin format, with the top finisher crowned champions.
Bangladesh have taken a significant step toward retaining the title.
They will face Bhutan in their next match Tuesday.
