Bangladesh Reach Final With Ritu–Sagarika Magic

Falling behind in the 23rd minute, then a stunning Olympic goal from Rituparna Chakma to bring the match back on level terms, and finally a stoppage-time winner from super sub Sagarika in the second half—these three moments defined the Women’s SAFF Championship semifinal between Bangladesh and Nepal in Goa, India.

On the back of those moments, Bangladesh reached the final for the third time. The rest of the story belonged to Nepal’s spirited performance and cruel misfortune.

The match, which kicked off at 4:00 pm local time at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, saw both teams battling intense heat. Bangladesh had skipped training the previous day due to the death of teammate Shiuli Azim’s mother, and the emotional impact showed in their performance. Throughout the match, Bangladesh played disorganized and largely purposeless football. Luck was clearly on their side; otherwise, why would Nepal have to suffer disappointment again despite playing well? Twice Nepal were denied by the goalpost, while Rituparna Chakma—largely quiet for most of the match—produced an Olympic goal out of nowhere.

Nepal took the lead in the 23rd minute. Dipashahi’s corner was not handled cleanly by goalkeeper Milli Akter, and as the ball slipped from her gloves, Geeta Rana placed a neat shot into the net. In the 36th minute, the post again came to Bangladesh’s rescue. A floating shot from outside the box by Preeti Rai could not be properly punched away by Milli, and the ball struck the post and rebounded.

Forced to act, coach Butler made a double substitution in the 40th minute, bringing on experienced forwards Tahura Khatun and Shamsunnahar Junior in place of Suravi Akhond Preeti and Umhela Marma. This added some pace to Bangladesh’s attack, and they began to earn set pieces under pressure. From one such corner in added time of the first half, Rituparna scored an Olympic goal. Her left-footed corner from the right flag took a touch off the Nepal goalkeeper’s gloves and curled into the far post, bringing relief to the Bangladesh camp.

Bangladesh could have conceded again immediately after the break, but the goalpost continued to act as their ally. Deepa Shahi beat two markers, Afida and Kohati, to get on the end of a cross. She attempted a gentle finish past the advancing Milli, but her shot struck the side post and came back into play.

In the 78th minute, Sagarika’s right-footed effort from a Shamsunnahar Junior through pass was punched out for a corner by the Nepal goalkeeper at the last moment. Then came the decisive moment. In the third minute of the six minutes of added time in the second half, Bangladesh took the lead through Sagarika, who had come on for Anika Raniya Siddiki. Another substitute, Shamsunnahar Junior, surged down the right side after receiving a through ball from Maria and, instead of shooting, squared the ball across to Sagarika. Beating two defenders, the young striker calmly applied the final touch to score the winner.

From there, it was all about waiting for the final whistle. The Bhutanese referee allowed play to continue for a total of 12 minutes beyond regulation before finally blowing the whistle. With that, Bangladesh stayed alive in their dream of a hat-trick of titles and booked their place in the final.