Nepal, July 11 -- Purnima Rai scored four goals for Nepal as the team defeated Bhutan 6-1 to open their SAFF U20 Championship campaign at Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday.

"The team gave me the opportunity to score," Rai said in the post-match conference. "I was confident. I just wanted to score."

The other two goals for Nepal were scored by Senu Pariyar. Pariyar was the first scorer of the game as she found the back of the net in the ninth minute.

Rai scored her first and doubled Nepal's lead in the 18th minute. Pariyar scored her second and the team's third before the first half ended.

Leading comfortably 3-0 at the start of the second half, Bhutan signalled a comeback by scoring. Kelden Wangmo pulled one back...