India were crowned winners of the inaugural South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship on Thursday, when they beat Nepal 1-0 in the final at Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar Zilla Stadium.
Sasmita Mallick’s 65th-minute winner was enough to see India through to glory, after a goalless first half saw both teams squander several goal-scoring opportunities.
India had been the most dominant team of the tournament, scoring 39 goals in their four matches leading up to the final while maintaining a clean sheet.
Gold medallists at the South Asian Games in February, India entered the final on the back of a comprehensive 8-0 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the semis. Bala Devi, starred for India in the semi-final with a hat-trick and was adjudged player of the tournament on Thursday.