Ruthless Bangladesh eye maiden Saff title

After India's undisputed supremacy in the previous five tournaments, Saff Women's Championship is finally going to have a new champion. Bangladesh and Nepal both played in the competition's finals before but ended on the losing side. This time, they both are raring for their first Saff title.

Sabina and Co have been in terrific form in the ongoing Saff Women's Championship. They started the campaign as one of the favourites to play in the final. But the way the Bangladesh women's team has dominated the competition is truly remarkable. 

Bangladesh have scored a whopping 20 goals and conceded zero in the four matches they've played so far. Their dominating 3-0 triumph over a strong Indian side was an indication that they are a team to beat. This was India's first-ever defeat in the tournament's history before losing to the hosts Nepal in the semifinal. The girls in Red and Green eventually finished the group stage by finishing first with three wins. 

Their 8-0 thumping over Bhutan in the semifinal was the second biggest margin of victory in the ongoing competition.

Nepal, on the other hand, have had a perfect tournament too. They won all their group stage matches before bagging a 1-0 victory over India in the knockout game on Friday. 

Bangladesh skipper Sabina Khatun has been in terrific form in the competition and has led the team's forward lineup brilliantly. Sabina has found the net eight times, including two hat-tricks. 

The 28-year-old forward is currently the highest goalscorer in the tournament. 

Besides, Mosammat Sirat Jahan Shopna is also doing well as she has scored four times in this competition.

Nepal's main strength is that their midfielders and forwards are all well capable of putting the ball back into the net. Therefore, no particular player has scored tons of goals. In contrast, all have contributed in the case of scoring goals in the opposition net. 

Sabitra Bhandari, Amisha Karki, and Rashmi Kumari Ghising have all scored two goals each for the Nepal side so far.

Like Bangladesh, the hosts are yet to concede a goal in this event. So, they also have shown good defensive solidarity. However, Bangladesh's forwards have been in tremendous form, and the host's biggest challenge will be to restrict Sabina Khatun and Sirat Jahan Shopna in front of their defence.

Both Nepal and Bangladesh expressed their optimism to win the title when they face each other in the final on Monday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, both teams' coaches said they would win the trophy.

Bangladeshi coach Golam Rabbani Choton said his players were ready to face tough competition in Nepal in the final on Monday. 

"My players are ready and we hope to win the title," said Choton. 

Choton said he knew a capacity crowd would turn out for the match but will be unfazed by it.

"We have played in front of large crowds cheering for their teams and won the matches. My players are ready for the crowd too," he said.

Nepal's Kumar Thapa said the crowd cheering for them would be a big motivating factor for the players on the pitch. 

"There is the chance to win the title and there is the chance to win the title for the crowd cheering for us. We don't want anyone to take the trophy home. We want it to be here with us," said Thapa.

Thapa said his team was mentally and physically prepared for the final. 

"We defeated India and created history. But we have another big opportunity to create bigger history. We want to add a star atop our logo in our jersey," he said pointing to the ANFA logo on the jersey.

The match will take place at the Dasharath Stadium at 5:15 pm (BST).