Lalitpur, April 26

National team member Sabitra Bhandari scored eight goals alone as Nepal APF Club overwhelmed Eastern Region 15-0 in the Super League match of the National Women’s Football League here on Tuesday.

In the second match of the Super League stage played at the astro-turf pitch at the ANFA Complex, the departmental side opened the scoring in the eighth minute and found the back of the nets at regular interval against the hapless regional team.

Bhandari, the member of the silver medal winning South Asian Games, scored her second goal in the 44th minute and netted four more in the span of nine minutes before adding the last two in the space of four minutes.

Bhandari put APF ahead in the eighth minute before she scored her second in the 44th minute. She then found the back of the nets in the 60th, 64th, 67th, 69th, 81st and 85th minutes.

Sajana Rana completed her hat-trick, scoring goals in the 20th, 43rd and 90th minutes, while Laxmi Paudel netted a brace in the 28th and 61st minute.

Skipper Anu Lama, who led Nepal to second-place finish in the 12th South Asian Games in India last month, and Anita Basnet also joined the party with a goal each in the 26th and 18th minutes respectively.

APF coach Nar Kumar Rai said the opponents were much weaker than they thought. “This victory will set the pace for other matches as we reckon the matches against other departmental teams are going to be tough ones,” said Rai, who believed the high-scoring victory over Eastern Region kept them on track for the title.

Eastern Region coach Bhagawati Rana Magar said the unwanted early goals led to the huge loss.