Women win football gold for India

From Our Correspondent

SHILLONG, Feb 15: It was a perfect parting gift for veteran woman footballer of the country Oim Bem Bem Devi when India defeated Nepal to win the Gold in the 12th South Asian Games.

India clinched the South Asian Games women's football title for the second time in a row with an emphatic 4-0 win over Nepal on Monday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Playing in front of a capacity crowd of 22, 000, Kamala Devi was the star of the match, scoring a brace while Bala Devi and Ashalata Devi added one each for India to win gold.

Soon after the kick off Nepal looked promising and had a cautious India on the back foot.

Nepal got close to securing a 23rd minute lead when winger Anita Basnet placed a free kick which was however, saved by keeper Aditi Chauhan.

India's breakthrough came in the 32nd minute when Bala Devi delivered a beautiful flat cross to Kamala Devi who found the back of the nets. India went into half time with a 1-0 lead with the game still looking evenly poised.

Eight minutes after the break, Sasmita Malik made an aerial pass to Bala Devi but the forward's header was saved by Nepal's goal keeper Lila Lamgade.

India's lead was filly doubled in the 56th minute in the form of a scorcher sent by Kamala after she collected a rebound inside the area from a Sasmita Malik corner. India scored again in the 71st minute, this time through Bala Devi after another cross from Sasmita.

Bala controlled the cross and placed an easy shot past Lila to hand the host tion their third goal of the match.

Nepal's Sabitra Bhandari nearly reduced the deficit with a 78th minute shot but India's custodian Aditi Chauhan made a brilliant save.

Two minutes later, Ashalata Devi delivered a venomous shot from outside the box off a rebound and found goal, thereby leaving very little hope for a Nepal comeback.

India controlled the last few minutes, maintaining their calm and eventually finished the fil with a memorable 4-0 win in front of a partisan crowd.