KATHMANDU: Nepal on Wednesday defeated the Maldives 9-0 to enter the semi-final of the fourth SAFF Women’s Championship, in Siliguri, India.

Nepal's emerging sensation Sabitra Bhandari scored five goals alone to secure the victory.

With the victory, Nepal secured their semi-final berth with still one more game to play at the group stage.

Nepal were 3-0 up by the end of the first half with Bhandari's hattrick. While Bhandari added a brace in the second half, Manjali Yonjan, Sapana Lama, Hira Kumari Bhujel and Nirmala BK scored one each.

Nepal will face Sri Lanka on Friday. Earlier, on Monday, they had won over Bhutan 8-0 in their first group stage match.

The semifinal matches will be played on January 2 and the final is scheduled for January 4.