India scored an emphatic 4-1 victory over Nepal in the opening match of the SAFF U-17 Women’s Championships here on Monday.
India launched their first full-blooded attack within the opening 40 seconds, and scored the first goal in the 10th minute through Shilji Shaji. They could have been 3-0 up by the 20th minute but for two goals being ruled offside.
Shaji caught the Nepal goalkeeper Khushi napping with a simple perfectly-executed shot into the the far corner of the goal.
Shilji Shaji scored a hat trick as India beat Nepal emphatically in the #SAFFU17Womens 🏆 opener today! #NEPIND ⚔️ #BackTheBlue 💙 #ShePower 👧 #IndianFootball ⚽
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 20, 2023
Just when it looked Nepal would escape the half without conceding more goals, India hit them with a double blow. First, Shilji scored in the 40th minute, her second goal, which was a carbon copy of the first, and barely a minute later, Pooja made it 3-0.
Shilji, this time, was the provider for the winger to tap the ball in.
Barsha Oli scored off a well-taken volley in the 54th minute to reduce the deficit for Nepal, but rarely did India look like losing the plot.
Shilji rounded off a brilliant performance with a well-taken third, robbing the Nepal midfield from a throw-in and then running through on her own to finish the job.