India crashed out of SAFF Women's Championship after losing to Nepal in the semi-finals

India crashed out of the SAFF Women's Championship after losing 2-4 to Nepal in the penalty shootout in the semi-final match after the home team stopped play for over an hour in protest against the refereeing decision in Kathmandu. sunday. Nepal will face Bangladesh in the final. In the first semi-final, Bangladesh defeated Bhutan 7-1. The match, played in front of a packed house at the Dashrath Stadium, was tied at 1-1 and a shoot-out was imposed after full time, with much of the drama coming from inside the ground.

In fact, when the shoot-out ended, the total duration from start to start of the match was almost three hours.

India took the lead in the 62nd minute with Sangeeta Basfour's brilliant shot from well outside the box.

After this Nepal scored a goal but the referee rejected the goal. Following this, the match was halted for over 70 minutes as Nepal refused to continue, protesting the referee's decision.

According to a release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the situation on the pitch during this period was one of complete confusion, with a section of players and officials, mostly from the home team, displaying some theatrics.

Bhutan's referee Om Choki waited patiently for over an hour and the match resumed after much discussion between the supervising officials and the Nepal side.

The long wait and complete confusion clearly disrupted the rhythm and concentration of the Indians.

Seconds after the match restarted, Nepal equalized through Sabitra Bhandari which eventually proved crucial in taking the game beyond 90 minutes.

In the tie-breaker, Nepal managed to convert all four of its attempts, while only Manisha and Karishma Shirwoikar could find the target for India. Captain Ashalata Devi and Ranjana Chanu missed out for the Blue Tigresses.

The problems started early in the second half when Nepal striker Rekha Paudel was given her marching order for her second yellow card in the 51st minute.

“The Nepal players strongly protested against the referee's decision, resulting in tension in the stands that forced the assistant referee on the opposite side to leave his post and seek temporary shelter on the other side,” the AIFF said.

“It took about 12 minutes for the match to resume. However, the situation went completely out of control after India took the lead. As the Indian players went to the bench to celebrate the goal, Nepal ' 'Restart' and put the ball into the open Indian net,” AIFF said.

The referee did not allow the “goal” and it became a cause of controversy.

“While the spectators displayed their unhappiness, Nepal players and officials decided to walk off the field. It took more than an hour for the organizers and supervising officials to resolve the issue.

“India, who by then were enjoying a good day at the office, were as confused as anyone else at the Dashrath Stadium. Once the match resumed, the Blue Tigresses were never in their usual form.”