Anuskha Kumari scored a hat-trick as India thrashed hosts Bhutan 8–0 for his or her third consecutive win on the SAFF U17 Women’s Championships in Thimphu on Sunday (August 24, 2025).
Besides Kumari’s (53rd, 61st, 73rd) stellar efficiency, Abhista Basnett (twenty third, 89th) scored a brace whereas Pearl Fernandes (71st), Divyani Linda (77th), and Valaina Jada Fernandes (90+2) have been on course. India led 1-0 at half-time.
With this dominant end result, the Young Tigresses have now scored 17 targets in three matches with out conceding as soon as, tightening their grip on high spot in the desk and edging nearer to the trophy.
India now have 9 factors from three matches, forward of Bangladesh and Nepal, who’ve three factors every.
Bhutan, nonetheless with no level, have been merely overwhelmed by a aspect firing on all cylinders.
India wasted no time asserting themselves. In simply the fifth minute, Shveta Rani’s curling nook from the left practically swung in straight, however Bhutan’s alert goalkeeper Kelzang Wangmo collected it safely.
Minutes later, Divyani Linda burst down the best wing and fired in a teasing low cross which discovered Nira Chanu Longjam on the close to submit, just for Wangmo to once more deny the guests.
Shots rained in as India pushed ahead relentlessly. Anuskha Kumari, Longjam, and Julan Nongmaithem all examined Wangmo, who made a string of saves that drew loud cheers from the house followers.
But Bhutan’s resistance cracked in the twenty third minute. Abhista Basnett, unmarked on the close to submit, met one other well-flighted nook from Rani and calmly slotted residence to provide India the lead.
After the break, India got here out with higher goal and pumped in seven extra targets.
India doubled their benefit in the 53rd minute. Anuskha Kumari stepped up for a free-kick from 20 yards and unleashed a thunderbolt into the highest nook, giving Wangmo no likelihood. It was the second that broke Bhutan’s spirit.
In the 61st minute, Kumari added her second. Picking up a cross on the best flank, she reduce inside, beat her defender with ease, and drilled a low shot into the far backside nook.
Substitute Pearl Fernandes, barely three minutes on the pitch, tapped in the fourth objective for India in the 71st minute after Linda’s harmful cross skipped previous Wangmo on the far submit.
Two minutes later, Kumari accomplished her hat-trick as she capitalised on a defensive error to unleash one other highly effective strike from inside the world.
With the scoreline already emphatic, Divyani Linda added her identify to the checklist of scorers in the 77th minute, accumulating a cross on the overlap and rifling a shot previous the weary Bhutan keeper.
In the 89th, Basnett accomplished her brace with a long-range effort. Wangmo failed to assemble cleanly and the ball trickled over the road.
The remaining objective got here with substitute Valaina Jada Fernandes firing residence from 20 yards in stoppage time, making it eight for India.
