Om choki

Skipper Ashalata Devi: India crashed out of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024 when they went down to Nepal 2-4 in penalty shoot-outs in the semi-finals played at the Dasharath Stadium on Sunday.

Played in front of a packed house, the shoot-out was applied after the full-time ended in a 1-1 draw in a match that witnessed more drama off the pitch than inside.

Once India took the lead in the 62nd minute through Sangita Basfore’s brilliant shot from well outside the box and Nepal scored an equaliser that was denied by the referee, the match was held up for more than 70 minutes as the host side refused to continue protesting the referee’s decision.