Nepal vs Bangladesh: A battle royal

A battle royal  between Nepal and Bangladesh  is  on the cards as they battle it out in the final of the South Asian Federation Football  Women’s Championship in Kathmandu Monday.

Interestingly both sides are eyeing their maiden title.The wait for them has been long, and agonizing. 

The day has finally dawned,and they are expected  to be firing on all cylinders to break the jinx.

One team will bask in glory,while frustration, dismay and disappointment will prolong for the other at the end of the day.

More  importantly, we will have a brand new South Asian champion.Given the performances, strengths and weaknesses of the two finalists, they are evenly matched in every department of the game.

Nepal is ahead of Bangladesh in FIFA rankings,but it doesn’t really mean much.All that matters is delivering the goods.There  is no clear favorite  going into the final. 

As a matter of fact, the championship match is delicately poised and either team can  emerge victorious. 

When all is said and done,it ultimately boils down to  team cohesion,consistency, mindset,physical fitness,resiliency, effectively executing game plan,winning attitude,capitalizing on scoring chances and rising to the occasion.

Nepal and Bangladesh will be playing in their fifth  and  second finals respectively. Both teams registered morale boosting wins over  India for the first time in the history of the tournament. 

The  final has the making of a blockbuster. Head Coach of Nepal Kumar Thapa is confident that  his team will deliver the long overdue result.

Nepal is one step away from winning the elusive title but cannot let the chance slip by.

They have to be able to  cash in on the home field advantage to tilt the balance in their favor. 

They will require a tremendous performance to prevail over a  formidable, dangerous, tenacious and tricky Bangladesh who have already proven themselves in the tournament.

They have to give their best performance collectively and individually.The most important thing for the team  is to reach their full potential.They cannot let their guard down at any point of the game. 

Improvement is needed in  their  coordination, finishing and  must make the most of their offensive opportunities. 

Offensive and midfield play is key to Nepal’s success.They will need  to be more aggressive,penetrative and clinical to break  the  compact Bangladesh defense.

 

Nepal’s highest goal scorer Sabitra Bhandari

who plays for Gokulam Kerala FC, India form will be crucial for the team’s success. The  performance of the other two key players Amisha Karki and Rashmi Kumari Ghising is equally important.

The defense has to step up  and cannot let the opposition find chink in their armor.They have quite a task  on hand to stop Bangladesh’s skipper and prolific goal scorer Sabina Khatun who is on a goal scoring spree.

Khatun who plays for Maldives Army FC is Bangladesh's highest international goal scorer.

With 8 goals,she is the top scorer in the ongoing tournament,which includes two hat-tricks. She  alongside  Mosammat  Sirat Jahan Shopna are under- the-radar players.  

Head Coach of Bangladesh Holan Rabbani is brimming with confidence following  his team’s strong performance and has made it very clear that they are ready  to  face the raucous partisan crowd and will leave no stone unturned against Nepal.

Certainly,Bangladesh has given a good account of themselves in the championship.They have improved remarkably in the game over the years.

Their emphatic 3-0 win over defending champions India speaks for itself.They came through with dominating performance, making light work of the Indians.They are hoping for an encore performance against Nepal.

 

In the semi-final against hapless Bhutan,  they were ruthless  and went on a  goal  feast.They  toyed with the opposition scoring 8 unanswered goals.

Bangladesh will rely on their defensive and offensive strengths to carve out a decisive victory against Nepal.

One thing is certain, we are headed for an  absorbing, engrossing, intriguing and exciting final.