Nepal kicked off their WAFF Women's Championship journey in style with a resounding 4-1 win over Syria in a Group B match at Hall Stadium in Jeddah.
Amisha Karki set the tone early for Nepal, opening the scoring in the 10th minute after seizing an opportunity from a failed clearance. Anita Basnet doubled the lead just three minutes later with a remarkable goal directly from a corner kick.
Adding the third was Sabitra Bhandari, making her debut for the national team following her signing with French side En Avant Guingamp, who found the back of the net six minutes later, capitalizing on a brilliant assist from Amisha Karki.
Despite Syria pulling one back with an own goal from Gita Rana in the 43rd minute, Nepal maintained their dominance, with Rekha Poudel sealing the victory with a well-taken goal in the 69th minute, courtesy of a cross from Sabitra Bhandari.
With this impressive victory under their belt, Nepal look to their second group match against Iraq on February 22 before concluding their group matches with a face-off against Palestine on February 24th.
Hosts Saudi Arabia, Guam, Lebanon, and Jordan are in the other group. The top two teams from each group will reach the semi-final of the competition.
(Photo via WAFF Youtube channel)
