SAFF Womens' Championship: India one step away from defending title after beating Nepal 3-1 in the semis

THE INDIAN WOMENS' TEAM registered an emphatic 3-1 win over Nepal in their SAFF Womens' Championship semi-final game, securing their path to the final.

India finsihed second in their group after they were held to a draw and faced Nepal who were being considered one of India's major rivals for the title. Early on India were making offensive runs but Nepal's goalkeeper Sabitra made a couple of good saves to deny them. Nepal pushed back with back to back set pieces they earned but the Indian defence stood resolute.

The break-through came towards the end of the first half, when India moved up for a fast counter and Kamala Devi got hold of the ball, shooting it straight in with powerful accuracy. At half time, the hosts were 1-0 ahead.

The second goal for India came not long after the contest resumed. Kamala Devi was in the mix again, sending a sharp pass towards Indumathi who cleverly took advantage of misunderstandings between two Nepali defenders to gain some ground, then blasted the ball into the net. At the hour mark, India were leading 2-0.

But 15 minutes later Nepal were back in the game. Sabitra Bhandari got the goal for the Gorkhalis past Indian keeper Aditi Chauhan. But not long afterwards, Sashmita Malik's corner kick was helped into the net by mistake, and that pretty much sealed the victory for India by a 3-1 margin.

The match showed an upward turn in India's performance after the disappointing draw against Bangladesh. They have won every single edition of the SAFF Womens' Championship in the past and continue to be the favourites as they entered the final with relative ease.