Bangladesh Reach SAFF Final for Third Straight Time After Beating Nepal

Defending champions Bangladesh staged a phenomenal comeback to defeat a formidable Nepal 2-1 in a high-voltage semifinal clash at the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026, securing their spot in the final for the third consecutive time. In a dramatic encounter full of twists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, a devastating injury-time own goal by the Nepalese defense ultimately sealed the victory for Peter Butler’s squad.

The Bengal Tigresses appeared disjointed during the opening phase of the knockout match, and Nepal capitalized on this lack of rhythm to break the deadlock in the 23rd minute. Nepalese defender Gita Rana reacted quickest to a corner kick delivered by Dipa Shahi, poking the ball into the net to give her side a 1-0 lead. Bangladesh narrowly escaped conceding a second goal in the 36th minute when Preeti Rai unleashed a powerful long-range strike that deflated off the hands of goalkeeper Mili Akter before rattling against the goalpost.

Chakma's Brilliance Sparks the Revival

Refusing to back down, the trailing Bangladeshi side launched a series of desperate attacks late in the first half. The pressure paid off in the final moments before the interval when winger Ritu Porna Chakma pulled off an unbelievable equalizer, curling a corner kick directly into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1 going into the break.

The second half turned into an absolute end-to-end battle, with both heavyweights pushing aggressively for a winner. Bangladesh survived another massive scare early in the second half when Nepal's Rekha Poudel slipped the ball past an advanced goalkeeper toward an open net, only for the shot to agonizingly clip the post and deflect away. The crossbar came to Bangladesh's rescue once more in the 69th minute when a curling effort from Saru Limbu sailed inches over the woodwork.

Bangladesh had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 78th minute when forward Sagarika found herself in a scoring position, but Nepalese captain and goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba made a brilliant diving punch to deny the strike.

Late Drama Seals Final Ticket

The Decisive Blow: With the match heavily mirroring a tense extra-time settlement, fate favored Bangladesh in the dying moments of stoppage time. Shamsunnahar Junior floated a precise pass intended for Sagarika. Under immense pressure from the Bangladeshi forward, the Nepalese backline completely fumbled their clearance and inadvertently bundled the ball into their own net, gifting Bangladesh the match-winning 2-1 lead.

The dramatic late error officially brought an end to Nepal's unblemished tournament run, clearing the path for the reigning champions to march forward and defend their regional crown in the grand finale.