Bangladesh beats India 2–0 in SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship

KATHMANDU: Bangladesh secured a comfortable 2–0 victory over India in the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship 2026 at Pokhara Stadium on Monday.

Captain Arpita Biswas and Alpi Akhter scored for Bangladesh, giving the team an early advantage.

Biswas opened the scoring in the 29th minute, followed by Akhter’s strike in the 40th minute, sending the visitors into halftime with a 2–0 lead.

Despite creating several opportunities in the second half, neither side managed to score further.

India made a tactical substitution early in the second half, bringing on Anushka Kumari for Pritika Barman in the 46th minute, while Bangladesh had already made a double change in the 37th minute.

Bangladesh’s goalkeeper and defensive line remained solid throughout.

Bangladesh coach Peter James Butler fielded a balanced side, while India’s coach Pamela Conti made multiple changes in an attempt to mount a comeback, but the visitors’ defense held firm. India was captained by Julan Nongmaithem.

With this win, Bangladesh topped their group with six points, having earlier defeated Bhutan 12–0 on Saturday.

India, meanwhile, earned three points after edging past Nepal 1–0 in their opening group match.