Souravi Akanda Prity stole the spotlight in Thimphu with a superb hat-trick that kept Bangladesh’s hopes alive in the SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship. Her hat-trick, along with a first-half strike from Thuinuye Marma, powered Mahbubur Rahman’s side to a commanding 4-1 victory over Nepal at the Changlimithang Stadium on Wednesday.

Bangladesh had played rather ordinary football in the first half until Thuinuye broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. Dribbling past three defenders, she slipped the ball past the Nepal goalkeeper to put her side ahead. In stoppage time of the first half, Mamoni Chakma set up Prity, who doubled the lead with a powerful left-footed strike from inside the box.

But just when Bangladesh looked set to head into the break with a two-goal cushion, they conceded on the stroke of half-time. Despite having six defenders in position, none could prevent Nepal from pulling one back. The shot deflected off a Bangladesh defender and fell kindly to Nepal captain Bhumika, who fired home from close range.

After the interval, Bangladesh pressed for more goals, though their efforts initially brought only frustration. Missed chances, wayward finishing and repeated loss of possession saw them squander opportunities up to the 70th minute. In the 69th minute, Purnima Marma was through on goal but failed to get her shot away. Two minutes later, however, Prity made no mistake, delicately tapping in Mamoni Chakma’s corner to restore the two-goal cushion.

“The girls tried their best, even though there were some mistakes. But they are a part of the game. Alhamdulillah, we won 4-1 today. It would be better if we could keep a clean sheet. The goal we conceded wasn’t a very good goal (to concede). I think we have time to get better match by match,” head coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu said after the match.

Yet, despite the margin of the win, Bangladesh cannot afford to feel comfortable. They now have nine points from four matches, winning three and losing one. To take the title battle to the wire, they must win their remaining two fixtures.

The four-nation tournament is being played in a double round-robin format, with the team finishing top on points crowned champions. If points are level, the head-to-head result will decide the winner, followed by goal difference.

So far, Bangladesh have scored 10 goals and conceded four, leaving them with a goal difference of +6. India, however, remain the front-runners. Having played three matches, they are yet to concede a goal while scoring 17, giving them a far superior goal difference of +17.