Karki scores treble as Nepal thump Bhutan 4-0

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 6: Amisha Karki netted a hat-trick as Nepal thrashed Bhutan 4-0 to make a comeback at the SAFF U20 Women’s Championship 2023 in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Sunday.

Nepal lost its first match against Bangladesh 3-1 on Friday. The win over Bhutan kept Nepal’s final hopes alive. Nepal needs to clinch a victory over its southern neighbour India in its last league match on Tuesday to book its place in the final. 

Along with Karki, skipper Preeti Rai also smashed one goal for the home.

Karki put Nepal ahead in the 19th minute and doubled the advantage in the dying minutes of the first half. Skipper Rai made the score line 3-0 in the 61st-minute scoring in the rebound. Forward Karki completed her treble in the 62nd minute to kill the match for Nepal. 

Bhutan is all but eliminated from the championship after conceding two successive defeats. Bhutan was condemned to a 12-0 defeat by India in the inaugural match of the tourney on Friday.

Along with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and India are contesting in the round-robin league tournament. The top two teams from the league will fight for the title clash.