The four time defending champions India will start as favorites against Bangladesh in the semi-finals of the SAFF Women’s football championship. India is unbeaten so far in this tournament. The women in blue have never been on the losing side since the inception of the tournament in 2010, clinching all the four editions of the event.
India had defeated Bangladesh 3-1 in the previous edition of the tournament in 2016 to clinch the crown. India is high on confidence, on the back of victories against Maldives (6-0) and Sri lanka (5-0), and coach Maymol Rocky feels that her wards are focused on the job at hands. This particular Indian team has been together since December last year and has played international fixtures in Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Turkey besides the inaugural Hero Gold Cup in India, before heading for Nepal. The coach hailed the efforts shown by the players as they look to inch closer towards their fifth straight SAFF crown.
India finished on top with a 7-1 scoreline at the 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 1 in November 2018 in Myanmar, when the two sides met last time. The previous two matches have been positive for India at the SAFF Championship with the team seizing initiative in attack from the start of the match. Hopefully, India will win their encounter against Bangladesh in the semi-finals.
