India U-18 girls win SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship for the first time in history

India U-18 girls have won the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship 2022 at the JRD TATA Sports Complex in Jamshedpur. India were edged out by Bangladesh in the final game of the tournament following a 74th-minute goal from Aklima Khatun.

She scored from outside the box to give her country the lead. But, India ultimately ended up winning the trophy with a better goal difference (+11) compared to Bangladesh’s +3. 

India U-18 girls win SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship 

The youngsters beat Nepal twice on their way to the title, scoring thirteen goals in their first three games to give them a strong advantage in terms of goal difference. 

Lynda Kom, who scored 5 goals in the tournament, was named the most valuable player. She was also the highest scorer in the tournament. 

To win the title, Bangladesh needed to win by a margin of two goals. However, they only scored one. And while they won the battle, they lost the war with India being able to keep the opposition from scoring another goal. 

This achievement for the girls will be very motivating for the rest of the sportspeople in the country – particularly after they had to be ruled out of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup due to a COVID outbreak in the squad. The youth players of today will have a chance to claim the bigger titles in the years to come, and winning the SAFF Women’s U-18 Championship shows that there is a lot to be optimistic about in the near future.