Bangladesh secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Bhutan in their second meeting of the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship on Thursday, maintaining their unbeaten run in the tournament.
Head coach Peter James Butler fielded an experimental starting eleven after already defeating Bhutan 4-1 earlier in the week. However, the new lineup struggled to find rhythm in the opening half-hour, prompting the coach to bring on star midfielder Swapna Rani in the 33rd minute. The substitution paid off immediately, as Bangladesh took control of the match.
Just one minute after coming on, Swapna delivered a long cross that found striker Trishna Rani Sarkar, who struck from outside the box with her right foot to break the deadlock in the 34th minute.
Bangladesh extended their lead in the second half after a dominant performance. Swapna again played a crucial role, scoring the team’s third goal with a long-range strike in the 74th minute that hit the underside of the crossbar and crossed the goal line before bouncing back into play. The referee confirmed the goal.
Trishna, who had earlier scored the opener, netted her second of the match in the 65th minute. Substitute Munki dispossessed a Bhutan defender outside the box and passed to Trishna, who beat her marker and finished with a low shot to make it 2-0. The brace takes Trishna’s goal tally to three in the tournament.
Bangladesh had several other opportunities to increase the scoreline. In the 62nd minute, they were awarded a penalty after Trishna was fouled in the box, but Swapna failed to convert, sending the shot wide. Just a minute later, Munki had a clear chance but was denied by Bhutan's goalkeeper.
Bhutan, despite showing early aggression and creating a few chances, could not find the back of the net. Bangladesh made three changes at the break, bringing on Munki, Umhela, and Rita to maintain intensity.
With this win, Bangladesh remain top of the points table with 12 points from four matches, maintaining a perfect record. Nepal, who beat Sri Lanka 7-0 earlier in the day, sit second with nine points. Bhutan are third with three points from one win against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka on Saturday before facing Nepal in their final group match on July 21.
MSK/
