Nepal edged Sri Lanka 1-0 for their third successive victory to enter the semi-finals of the fourth Saff Women’s Championship here at the Kanchenjunga Stadium on Friday.

Nepal had already secured their place in the semi-finals after crushing victories over Bhutan and Maldives but on Friday they needed an own goal to keep their winning record intact. Nepal accumulated nine points from three matches and will play either India or Bangladesh for a place in the final. 

Bangladesh currently lead Group ‘B’ on goal difference as they are tied on three points with defending champions India. The two teams meet each other to decide on pool winners. Afghanistan have already crashed out with two consecutive defeat in three-team Group ‘B’. 

Sabitra Bhandari was the architect of Nepal’s 8-0 victory against Bhutan and 9-0 crushing of Maldives in the first two games. But on Friday, Sri Lanka kept her in the check as Nepal struggled to break the solid defence. Coach Kumar Thapa admitted his side was tied by Sri Lankan strategy.

“The opponents had a strategy to hold us and they succeeded. We got the victory that we had wanted but not the way we would have liked,” said Thapa. His Sri Lanka counterpart Ratnam Jusmin said it was actually a failed strategy for him. “We had planned a tight marking for four Nepali players but a defending lapse cost us. We were looking for a draw,” said the Sri Lankan coach. 

Nepal had managed to penetrate Sri Lankan defense quite a few times but were unfortunate not to score. With just five minutes left on the clock, Sapana Lama’s corner got a deflection from RDLR Gunawardene to kiss the back of the net.

Both the semi-finals are set for Monday, while the final will be played on Wednesday. Nepal have entered the final in all three previous editions, losing to India on three occasions.