Iran beat India, Nepal to win Women’s Tri-Nation tournament in Shillong

Shillong: Iran were crowned winner of the Women’s Tri-Nation International Friendlies after consecutive wins over India and Nepal in Shillong.

It notched up a dominant 3-0 win over Nepal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday, days after beating host India 2-0. Iran, with these two wins, secured an unassailable lead in the standings with six points.

India and Nepal will meet in the last friendly game on October 27.

Substitute Sara Didar started from where she left off in the last game against the Blue Tigresses as she opened the scoring in the 49th minute. Iran’s second and third goals were scored by Zahra Ghanbari (52’) and Shabnam Behesht (57’), respectively.

The first half, which ended goalless, saw Nepal’s backline displaying discipline against an Iran side — ranked 70th in the world — which dominated possession.

Just three minutes into the second half, Didar — who had scored a brace against India — latched onto a long ball from goalkeeper Raha Yazdani, muscled past defender Bimala BK, and coolly slotted home past goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba to give Iran a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Ghanbari doubled the lead with a superbly executed free-kick from the right flank. Her curling delivery completely outfoxed Subba and nestled into the top-right corner.

Iran’s third came in the 57th minute and it was the pick of the lot. Behesht unleashed a stunning left-footed strike from 20 yards, a rising effort that flew past Subba with pace and precision. Agencies

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