India eased into the final of the SAFF Women’s Football Championship with an comprehensive 8-0 victory over Pakistan in the first semifinal yesterday.
Bala Devi’s first-half hattrick, a brace from Gayatri Mallik and one apiece for Sasmita Mallik, Mandakini Devi and Manpreet Kaur earned the predictable outcome in front of a moderate crowd at the Cox’s Bazaar Stadium.
Just like the previous match, India started the game with a few of their key players on the bench. And once they raced to a 7-0 lead in the first half, took off their two most potent strikers. The second half yielded only one goal as the Indians decided to test their bench strength.
A satisfied India coach Shahid Jabbar said winning was important, not the margin while the losing coach of Pakistan Tariq Lutfi contented himself by saying that the semifinal berth was a target fulfilled for them and this tournament was a good learning experience for his side.
