Nepal now one kick away from making history. Ranjana Chanu misses with a weak shot in the centre, and Anjana Rana Magar saves it easily.
The Blue Tigresses are eyeing revenge as Nepal beat them in the semi-finals of the previous edition, denying India the title for the first time in the SAFF Women's Championship history. Follow the live football scores and updates of the IND-W vs NEP-W match
Nepal now one kick away from making history. Ranjana Chanu misses with a weak shot in the centre, and Anjana Rana Magar saves it easily.
Manisha Kalyan responds with an inch-perfect penalty in the right corner. India now on the board.
Sabitra, the woman of the moment, comes up next and scores from the spot. Nepal in the lead.
Ashalata Devi the first one to step up for the penalties, and Nepal keeper Anjana Rana Magar tips it to the sidebar. India miss.
And that is that. The final whistle is blown, and we will head into penalty shootouts. This is turning out to be the ultimate blockbuster, and on air-commentators announce that this is now a record of the most-watched game in Nepal's sports streaming history with over 260,000 people watching concurrently.
Nepal are substituting their captain and goalie Anjila Subba with Anjana Rana Magar. This is ostensibly for the imminent penalty shootouts. India, too, replace their keeper Panthoi Chanu with Payal Ramesh Basude. Both teams now seem mentally resigned to penalties.
We are now past 45 minutes of play in the second half. Five minutes to be added as stoppage time. Let's see if either side can force a winner in injury time, failing which the match will head to penalties as there is no provision for extra time.
Sangita Basfore gets a yellow card for dangerous play, as she puts her foot in an attempt to take a shot at the Nepal goal and catches a Nepal player's face instead. Meanwhile, Sabitra 'Samba' Bhandari is back on the field.
Sabitra has left the field and is receiving treatment for an injury, and Nepal are now down to nine women. India are on the charge, resultantly.
India with three substitutions. Rimpa Haldar comes in for Linthoingambi Wangkhem, Soumya Guguloth for Jyoti Chauhan and Karishma Shirvoikar for Grace Dangmei.
Sabitra takes off her shirt in celebration and throws it into the crowd. The scene is reminiscent of the enduring moment in the USA vs China, 1999 Women's World Cup Final, where Brandi Chastain removed her jersey to cause a stir. That was a time when such a celebration was considered a taboo in women's football, and Sabitra sure recreated that famous minute. Meanwhile, she gets a yellow card for taking off her shirt.
Sabitra Bhandari scores! Who is writing the script for this match? The roof comes off the Dasharath Stadium as Sabitra, who was at the heart of the controversy that caused the lengthy hold-up, now sends the ball past Panthoi Chanu into the Indian net. Sabitra roars, so does the crowd. The star forward has imbued more drama into this incredible encounter, if at all that was possible.
Nearly an hour after play was halted for the second time in the match, we finally have some good news. Play has resumed, as Nepal have agreed to play until full-time.
The referees have called both teams forward and are speaking with the Nepal side first. Skipper and goalie Anjila Subba is refusing to accept the verdict of a disallowed Nepal goal, from the looks of it. The referees are trying to reason with her and the rest of the team. This could well be the final words before an outcome is revealed.
The latest update is that the Nepal players have refused to accept the decision of disallowing Preeti's goal. They claim they heard the whistle of referee Om Choki, who seems to be having a terrible game, and then header for the Indian goal. We are now into the 106th minute of the game, with play now held up for more than 30 minutes.
The Nepal players are adamant that they want a decision in their favour. They have not left the field, and are standing near the touchline along with the substitutes. The referees are still conversing. You will struggle to see a more dramatic sequence of events on a football pitch than this.
Here's what the International Football Association Board's Laws of the Game 2024-25 state:-
For every kick-off:
all players, except the player taking the kick off, must be in their own half of the field of play
the opponents of the team taking the kick-off must be at least 9.15 m (10 yards) from the ball until it is in play
the ball must be stationary on the centre mark
the referee gives a signal
the ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves
We are still awaiting an update on the final decision for the second goal. The referees are conferring, the Nepal camp is animatedly making its stance clear, while the Indian team is in the middle of the pitch, waiting for play to resume. 92 minutes have elapsed on the clock now, and we don't know how long a stoppage time we will have, if at all play is resumed. The commentators seem shell-shocked too, and are reiterating that they have never seen anything of this sort before on a football field in Nepal.
Absolutely farcical scenes unfolding here, as the match officials are on the pitch, trying find a compromise between the two camps. Play stands halted for the second time in the second half, and we don't know what the outcome of the second (disallowed) goal and even the match will be. Stay tuned as the impasse continues in Kathmandu.
The replay seems to suggest that referee Om Choki blew the whistle for play to resume, and Nepal only went ahead after that. But the Indian team was still celebrating, and custodian Panthoi Chanu had not even returned to the D when the resumption happened. Something similar had happened in a Santosh Trophy game between Manipur and Kerala, and despite the early resumption of play, the goal had stood.
Mayhem in Kathmandu. India open scoring via Sangita Basfore, who drills in a terrific long shot past Nepal goalie Anjila Subba into the top corner. India erupt in celebrations, and even as the substitutes are on the field, Nepal restart play. It seems the resumption is too quick, and Nepal's Preeti Rai sends the ball into the empty net. India are having none of it. They protest loudly, and India's assistant coach Priya Parathi Valappil has been booked as a result.
Nepal reply with a couple of attacking moves of their own. The hosts seem to have recovered after the Rekha send-off, and are now taking the fight to India. Both sides' defenders doing a good job to keep their sheets clean. Remember, a draw in full time will lead to a penalty shootout straight away.
Play finally resumes after a 12-minute halt and Grace Dangmei immediately delivers a lovely cross for Manisha in front of goal, but the southpaw misses with the header. India still eyeing that elusive goal.
With Bhutanese referee Om Choki's decision to eject Rekha Poudel, Nepal are now down to 10 women. Play about to resume in Kathmandu as the crowd if finally coming to terms with the fact that their top goal-scorer of the tournament (7 goals) will not be playing further part in the match.
What we are witnessing now is unfortunate and not great for women's football in Asia. The referee's decision was evidently not the right one, as replays indicate that Rekha got her foot on the ball in the challenge. But some rowdy elements in the crowd have taken it upon themselves to make their displeasure known, and the match has to be halted as a result. This is the third time Nepal hosting the SAFF Women's Championship, and it seems they might not get a fourth time in the foreseeable future.
Rekha Poudel is sent off! She gets her second yellow of the match for what is deemed dangerous play and has to walk back. Rekha is absolutely furious, in disbelief at the decision. She vehemently claims that she got the ball in a challenge on Ranjana Chanu Sorokhaibam. Se even pushes the referee back in anger, but the latter stands her ground and asks Rekha to leave. The Nepal forward remonstrates for a long time before trudging off and the crowd begins misbehaving.
A word on the Nepal crowd here. Spectators have come out in numbers to support their home team, and it is quite a heartening sight to see them fill up the Dasharath Stadium. We now have almost a full house, and they are making themselves heard for sure.
The second half gets underway. Both teams know that one goal could be enough to seal a win, given the kind of scrappy affair and lack of clinicality in the final third we have witnessed so far.
India miss another great opportunity, right at the stroke of half time. The Manisha Kalyan free-kick is half-cleared, presenting itself to both Jyoti and Manisha for shots at goal. Both go for it, but are intercepted and the first half ends with the scoreline reading 0-0.
India finally with an offensive move of their own after a long while. Manisha Kalyan it is, again with the the run and Puja Rana, Rekha Pudel both launch into her to stop the midfielder from causing further danger.
Nepal with a last-ditch attempt at scoring before the half-time whistle. India cautiously trying to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, Sabita goes down after Sanju's challenge and the home team's physio comes out. Sabita has to walk off, unfortunately.
Sabitra continues to surge ahead in search of Nepal's opener, but to no avail as yet. She is perhaps not getting the kind of support she would like in the final third. We are now seconds away from the end of the first-half's regulation time. Three minutes to be added as stoppage time.
The tempo of play has slowed down a bit as the minutes tick away before the first half ends. India missed out on a massive chance to go into the lead, but have since done well to avert a Nepal goal.
Nepal now truly coming into their own, lining up move after attacking move. Sabitra, who's popularly known as Samba, creates a genuine chance from the left, and Bala Devi comes in the way. Nepal appeal for hand ball, but the referee says no and with VAR (video assistant referee) not available, the hosts get a corner instead. It comes to nought, India hold on.
Nepal miss huge chance! Sabitra Bhandari lets one rip from her left foot at the edge of the Indian D, and Chanu does well to dive to her right and parry the rasping shot. The ball falls plumb in front for a rebound, but Chanu again does well to lift it over the bar. Nepal get a corner, and it is thwarted safely by India.
Manisha catches hold of the ball in the Indian half and sends a long ball down the line for Jyoti Chauhan, who tries to make something of the move but fails eventually.
Nepal striker Sabitra wins them a corner with an enterprising run on a counter. Rekha tries to volley the corner ball in but her shot goes wide of goal. Nepal with a genuine chance of their own.
India miss a massive chance! Jyoti Chauhan wins a corner kick for India and Manisha Kalyan steps up to take it. The left-footer sends a superb curling ball in and Jyoti gets the header on target, but Anjila somehow manages to keep it out and the resulting parry lands in front of goal. But the next shot from Bala Devi flies over the bar, and India squander a golden opportunity to draw first blood.
The Indian team had recognised before the match that Nepal's star forward Sabitra Bhandari will be the main threat for them, and sure enough, the attacker is making her presence felt on the pitch. She takes a long shot at the Indian goal but no harm done as Chanu is easily behind it.
Nepal forward Rekha Poudel comes up with a searching run down the left flank and dodges a couple of Indian defenders before taking a left-footed shot at goal. But Indian goalie Panthoi Chanu is equal to the task, diving forward to ensure the ball doesn't trickle out after she catches it.
Manisha Kalyan and her team-mates are piling on the pressure on the Nepal defence. Several incisive runs and early attempts at goal from the visitors, though nothing entirely goal-threatening.
We have an interesting start to the match, as India take a shot on the Nepal goal right off the second touch post kick-off. The shot is on target, but the Nepal goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo is alert and pouches the ball safely. No harm done.
Title holders Bangladesh decimated Bhutan by a resounding 7-1 margin in the first semi-final, earlier in the day. They now await the victor of the India vs Nepal match in the summit clash.
Here is India's starting XI for the crucial clash:
The last-four encounter will kick off at 6:15pm IST, and can be live streamed on the FanCode app and website in India. It will not be live telecast on any TV channel in India. India have won the title in five of the six previous editions, and a victory tonight would book their sixth final appearance in the competition.