Striker Sridarth Nongmeikapam scored a hat-trick as a dominant India thrashed Nepal 7-0 to lift the SAFF U-15 Championships trophy.

While Sridarth scored thrice, Maheson Singh, Amandeep , Sibajit Singh and Himanshu Jangra scored one goal apiece at the Kalyani Stadium.

Haryana’s Himanshu Jangra, who scored a hat-trick in each of India’s two previous matches against Bhutan and Bangladesh, came off the bench at half-time and scored his team’s fifth goal of the match. This was his seventh goal of the championship, earning him the highest scorer award.

“We are happy to be champions. We came here with an aim, and we have achieved it. This was a preparation for the AFC Qualifiers and it makes us confident about what we can achieve,” said coach Bibiano Fernandes.

The next assignment for Bibiano Fernandes’ side is the AFC U-16 Championships 2020 qualifiers, to be held from September 18 to 22.