Sauravi Akhanda Prity struck a hat-trick as Bangladesh beat Nepal 4-1 to keep their hopes alive of becoming champions in the SAFF Under-17 Women's Championship 2025 at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Wednesday.听
Bangladesh went to the break with a 2-1 lead as forward Thuinuye Marma opened the account in the 39th minute before forward Prity made it 2-0 in the 45th minute.Forward Bhumika Budathoki pulled one goal back for Nepal in the third minute of the stoppage time.听
Prity extended the margin with two more goals in the 71st and 87th minutes to become the second player of the ongoing tournament to score a hat-trick.听
Earlier on Sunday, India鈥檚 Anuskha Kumari scored the first treble in her team鈥檚 8-0 thrashing of hosts Bhutan.
Defending champions Bangladesh remained in second position with nine points from three wins and a defeat from four outings, while India were on top with 12 points from as many games after beating Bhutan 5-0 in the day鈥檚 other match.听
The four-nation tournament is being played in a double round-robin format, with the team finishing top on points crowned champions. If points are level, the head-to-head result will decide the winner, followed by goal difference.
Two-time champions Bangladesh started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Bhutan. They conceded a 2-0 defeat to India before beating Nepal 3-0.
India, who are also two-time title winners, crushed Nepal 7-0 and Bhutan 8-0 in their other games.听
Bangladesh will have to win their next two games against Bhutan and India on August 29 and 31, respectively, to retain the title.
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