SAFF U-19 Women's Championship: Bangladesh vs India Live

SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship: Bangladesh vs India

10 goals, two hat-tricks, two debuts, with one scoring her first international goal, in the initial encounter against Bhutan marked a commanding beginning for the Young Tigresses.

After the final whistle, the girls celebrated and congratulated each other, yet deep down, they were aware that the task was not complete.

“I was really happy and felt very proud of myself,” smiled Sibani, who scored her first hat-trick against Bhutan on Friday. “We played as a team against Bhutan.

“I wanted to score a goal yesterday, but when I scored my first goal, I thought to myself, I should now score another. Then another came along, it was not expected, but I am happy I did,” she said.

Hailing from Manipur, Sibani belongs to a family deeply entrenched in the football realm. Her father, Nongmeikapam Itocha Singh, is a former Mohun Bagan and Dempo defender, and her brother, Sridarth Nongmeikapam, played for the India U-16 Men’s National team and currently playing at Sudeva FC.

“My father inspired me to play football. I started playing in 2019 and my father was only my coach,” smiled Sibani.

“He is a strict coach but a loving father too. He coached both me and my brother until we got into our respective clubs. My father always tells me to work hard, enjoy the game and stay injury-free,” she said.

The task of winning against Bhutan is complete. Now, it’s time for the team to shift the focus to host Bangladesh. The match is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Sunday, February 4, 2024, in Dhaka at the BSSSMK Stadium.

Since 2021, India has faced a consistent string of losses to Bangladesh in all age group matches of the women’s national team. Today, from 6.30 p.m. IST onwards, the U19 girls have a crucial opportunity to reverse the trend. They will be entering a do-or-die situation in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship, seeking to turn the tables against the hosts.

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