Substitute Shamsunnahar Jr and Krishna Rani Sarkar gave Bangladesh women's team a 2-0 lead at half-time as the women in red and green edged closer to claiming South Asian football's supremacy for the first time.

On a rain-soaked heavy pitch at the Dasarath Rangasala in Kathmandu, Shamsunnahar Jr gave Bangladesh a 14th-minute lead with a superb flick on a cross from Monika Chakma, four minutes after coming off the bench to replace injured Sirat Jahan Swapna.

Nepal stepped up the ante after conceding the lead and almost equalised, but the woodwork denied the hosts in front of a capacity crowd at Nepal's national stadium.

As the hosts looked to assert their domination, Bangladesh scored a second goal in the 42nd minute, Krishna brilliantly smashing home with a left-footed shot from inside the box following a through-pass from skipper Sabina Khatun.