SAFF Women’s Championship 2026: Nepal
Edges Past Bhutan 1-0 in Thrilling Opener
May 25, 2026
Bivek Tamang
Kathmandu: Nepal kicked off their SAFF Women’s
Championship 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bhutan.
A first-half own goal proved to be the difference in a match where Nepal dominated the
attack but faced a highly disciplined Bhutanese side.
Lineups and Early Drama
Nepal’s head coach Nabin Neupane named a strong
starting XI, though the team visibly missed the presence of midfield maestro Preeti Rai,
who was completely unavailable for the match. Bhutan, led by captain Pema C. Tshering,
looked organized from the first whistle.
Nepal created early pressure when Rekha Poudel won a corner in the 7th minute, but her
effort flew over the crossbar. Bhutan almost took a shocking lead in the 14th minute following a
passing error by Nepali goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba, which resulted in a Bhutanese corner and a
tense moment.
The Decisive Goal
The breakthrough came in the 23rd minute. Dipa Shahi swung in a sharp
corner kick toward Gita Rana. Rana’s strike took a deflection off Bhutan's jersey number 16,
Dorji Edon, resulting in an own goal to give Nepal a 1-0 lead.
Nepal maintained heavy control for the rest of the first half.
Rashmi Kumari Ghising and Rekha Poudel both came agonizingly close to doubling the lead in the 36th minute,
with Poudel’s brilliant strike unfortunately rattling against the right post.
Second Half: Debuts and Missed Opportunities
The second half saw Coach Neupane introduce fresh legs.
Sabina Chaudhary came on in the 60th minute to replace Anita Lamjel, marking a proud debut for Lamjel.
Meena Deuba also made her senior international debut and nearly had a dream start. In the 81st minute,
Deuba capitalized on a poor clearance from Bhutan to put the ball in the net, but the goal was cruelly ruled out
for offside—one of Nepal's 5 offsides in the match.
Six minutes of stoppage time were added, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
In the 91st minute, Bhutan’s goalkeeper Sangita Monger made a world-class save to deny Rekha Poudel. In the dying minutes (94th minute),
Anita KC replaced Poudel to close out the game.
Official Match Statistics (Full Time)
| Match Stats |
Bhutan |
Nepal |
| Ball Possession % |
45% |
55% |
| Attempts |
8 |
14 |
| Shots on Target |
1 |
6 |
| Corners |
2 |
5 |
| Fouls Committed |
6 |
4 |
| Offsides |
0 |
5 |
| Yellow Cards |
1 |
0 |
| Red Cards |
0 |
0 |
The final whistle blew at 1-0, securing a crucial three
points for Nepal in their quest for SAFF glory.