India face stiff Nepal test in SAFF Women's semifinal

Kathmandu, Oct 26 (PTI) Indian senior women's team will have its task cut out when it faces home favourite Nepal in the SAFF Women's Championship semi-final at the Dasharath Stadium here on Sunday.
     Nepal have been consistent in the SAFF meet, having reached the final in the last edition of the championship at India's expense.
     To add to five-time runners-up Nepal's advantage, they are the hosts and would naturally be backed by an ardent crowd.
     India captain Ashalata Devi, a veteran of many a battle, is aware of the situation.
     "The crowd in Nepal is huge, and they are passionate about football," said Ashalata. "Some of our younger players haven't experienced a crowd like this before, and it can feel different."
     Ashalata, however, was quick to shrug off any suggestion that the Blue Tigresses could feel intimidated by the support the host side are expected to receive from the stands.
     "Well, we must remember that the crowd is for us too. They can support us as well. We should enjoy the match and not feel discouraged by the opponents' fans. We need to think of them as our fans too," said Ashalata, who will play her 102nd international on Sunday.
     "We need to play like a family, and that will help us win the game tomorrow. This is the time to prove ourselves. In football, it's about the team's performance rather than individual efforts," said the seasoned centre-back, widely considered a role model by many in Indian women's football.
     India, the five-time champions, crashed out of the SAFF Women's Championship 2022 after a 0-1 defeat against Nepal in the semi-final at the same venue.
     It was the first time India failed to take the trophy back home since the inception of the tournament in 2010.
     Ashalata is not the one who takes defeat in her stride easily. "We lost to Nepal in the 2022 semi-final, and we haven't forgotten that. We need to come back strong this time.
     "Nepal have some really good players. I have played two seasons in the Indian Women's League (IWL) with their main striker, Sabitra Bhandari. Some players are technically well-skilled. We know how they played against us."
     "Our strength is in the attacking third, where Manisha, Grace (Dangmei), and Soumya (Guguloth) can generate the required speed that can overcome many a challenge," she added.
     In the group stage, India defeated Pakistan 5-2 before losing to Bangladesh 1-3.
     Nepal drew 0-0 against Bhutan, won 11-0 against Maldives and beat Sri Lanka 6-0.
     India head coach Santosh Kashyap was confident of a positive result and hoped they would overcome their last group stage loss against Bangladesh.
     "Against Bangladesh, we created many opportunities, but Anju's injury forced me to hold back, and we had to play with 10 players for a period. That's when we conceded some avoidable goals. We have addressed that, but I remain confident we will come back strong from the last defeat," Kashyap said.
     He further noted the Sabitra threat, Nepal's main striker who recently completed her 50 international goals.
     "Sabitra is the only player from Nepal playing in the European League. Sabitra will have a strong presence in the attack. She has been scoring well and has a very positive influence. They played impressive football against Sri Lanka," said Kashyap.
    Kickoff: 6.15pm IST.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)