Bangladesh women's football team moved a step closer to qualifying for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after defeating Myanmar 2-1 in a Group C qualifier match on Wednesday at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.
The victory came against a tough opponent ranked 73 places above Bangladesh in the FIFA rankings. Forward Rituparna Chakma was the star of the match, scoring twice to seal the crucial win for the Bengal Tigresses.
Bangladesh had earlier crushed Bahrain 7-0 in their opening match. With two wins from two matches, they now sit at the top of the group with 6 points. Myanmar, who began their campaign with an 8-0 win over Turkmenistan, remain on 3 points after this defeat.
Bangladesh will play their final group match against Turkmenistan on Saturday. Avoiding a slip in that match would secure their place in the tournament's main stage.
In Wednesday’s game, Bangladesh showed intent from the start. In the 18th minute, Shamsunnahar Jr was fouled inside the box while trying to get past two defenders. Rituparna took the resulting free kick, and although her initial shot was blocked, she calmly netted the rebound with a low drive to give Bangladesh the lead.
Six minutes later, Rituparna provided a cross from the left which Shamsunnahar Jr tapped but was denied by the post. In the 37th minute, Myanmar had a chance after Bangladeshi goalkeeper Rupna Chakma failed to clear the ball, but Myanmar captain Khin Moe Moe Tun missed the target. Another Myanmar attempt hit the crossbar during first-half stoppage time.
Myanmar pressed hard in the second half, but the Bangladeshi defense, led by captain Shamsunnahar Sr and Afida Khandakar, held strong.
In the 72nd minute, Rituparna struck again. Picking up the ball near the edge of the box, she beat a defender and fired a powerful left-footed shot that floated over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net.
Myanmar managed to pull one back in the dying moments through Win Win, who converted a cross with a clean finish past Rupna. But the Bangladesh defense stayed composed to see out the match and secure the win.
With this result, Bangladesh remain firm favourites to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup main round.
MSK/
