The 2016 SAFF Women's Championship was the 4th edition of the SAFF Women's Championship, the biennial international women's football championship contested by the national teams of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament began in India from 26 December 2016 and went on until 4 January 2017. The country was awarded hosting rights in January 2016.[1] This was the first time India had hosted the SAFF Women's Championship.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  India |
| Dates | 26 December 2016 – 4 January 2017 |
| Teams | 7 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | India (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Bangladesh |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 57 (4.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 117,662 (9,805 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Sabitra Bhandari(12 goals) |
| Best player(s) | India Indumathi Kathiresan |
| Fair play award |  Nepal |
The defending champions coming into the tournament were India, who won the three previous tournaments.[2] By the end of the tournament, India emerged as champions again, defeating Bangladesh in the final 3–1.[3][4]
Participating teams edit
Apart from the hosts, India, six other South Asian teams participated in the tournament. On 3 November 2016 it was announced that Pakistan would not participate in the tournament.[5]
| Country | Appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking December 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| India (Host) |
4th | Champions (2010, 2012, 2014) | 54 |
 Afghanistan |
4th | Semi-finals | n/a |
| Bangladesh |
4th | Semi-finals | 114 |
 Bhutan |
4th | Group-stage | n/a |
 Maldives |
4th | Group-stage | 116 |
| Nepal |
4th | Runners-up | 105 |
 Sri Lanka |
4th | Semi-finals | 115 |
Squads edit
Venue edit
The Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri, West Bengal served as the host venue for the SAFF Women's Championship.[6]
| Siliguri | |
|---|---|
| Kanchenjunga Stadium | |
| Capacity: 30,000 | |
Group stage edit
The group stage draw for the tournament was held on 17 November 2016 at the South Asian Football Federation head office in Dhaka.[7]
Group A edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nepal
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Maldives
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 6 | |
| 3 | Sri Lanka
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bhutan
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
| Nepal | 1–0 | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
Gunawardane  87' (o.g.) |
Report |
Group B edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | India (H)
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 4 | |
| 3 | Afghanistan
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
| India | 5–1 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Kamala Devi 3', 32' Mallik 29'Dangmei 45+2'Sanju 90+2' |
Report | Muhtaj 88' |
| Bangladesh | 6–0 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Sabina Khatun 6', 15', 40', 44', 48' Shopna 85' |
Report |
| India | 0–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Knockout stage edit
Bracket edit
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 2 January | ||||||
| Nepal | 1 | |||||
| 4 January | ||||||
| India | 3 | |||||
| India | 3 | |||||
| 2 January | ||||||
| Bangladesh | 1 | |||||
| Bangladesh | 6 | |||||
| Maldives | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals edit
| Bangladesh | 6–0 | Maldives |
|---|---|---|
| Shopna 11', 22', 58' Sabina Khatun 48', 64' (pen)Nargis Khatun 52' |
Report |
Final edit
Goalscorers edit
- 12 goals
- 8 goals
- 5 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
Grace Dangmei- Indumathi Kathiresan
Aminath Shamila
Erandi Liyanage
- 1 goal
- 1 own goal
- Rushani Gunawardena (playing against Nepal)
References edit
- ^ "Bangladesh to host the 2017 South Asian football cup". Asia News. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "Reality check for host in Nepal-Malaysia friendly today". My Republica. 17 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "India keep unbeaten SAFF record". shekicks.net. 5 January 2017. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ "India Wins SAFF Championship for the 4th time". goalie365.com. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ "Another pullout as Pakistan skips Women's Asian Cup". Football Pakistan (Dawn). 3 November 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ "Players Called for SAFF Women's Championship Preparatory Camp in Punjab". The All India Football Federation. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ "Draw Held in Dhaka". Goal Nepal. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.