Nepal's hopes of advancing in the Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers were dashed after a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to Uzbekistan in their Group F clash. The match went into the tiebreaker after it ended 3-3 in the allotted time, with Nepal staging a stunning second-half comeback.
The host took an early lead, scoring in the 2nd and 11th minutes. A deflected strike from Uzbekistan’s captain and a 38th-minute penalty extended their lead to 3-1.
Trailing at halftime, Nepal roared back in the second half with Sabitra Bhandari Samba completing a sensational hat-trick—scoring in the 71st and 73rd minutes to level the match 3-3.
Only Sabita Rana Magar and Gita Rana converted their penalties for Nepal, while Uzbekistan scored all four attempts to seal the win.
Uzbekistan was reduced to 10 players late in the first half after Ergasheva received a second yellow for a rough tackle on Samba.
Despite Nepal’s spirited fightback, star players Samba and Anjana Rana Magar failed to score in the shootout.
With this loss, Nepal has been eliminated from the group stage of the Qualifiers, while Uzbekistan advanced into the Women's Asian Cup to be held in 2026.
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