Hosts eye goal-glut
When Bangladesh take on Kyrgyzstan in their third match of the AFC U-16 Women Championship's Group C Qualifiers at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today, they will have an eye on reducing the goal difference with fellow contenders Chinese Taipei.
The Bangladesh girls are level on six points with Chinese Taipei, who however are enjoying a crucial three goal advantage going into their third match. The goal difference is extremely crucial since only the top team from the group will advance into the final round.
In that context the home team can't think of a better side than Kyrgyzstan, who have so far proved to be a goal-mine for opponents, conceding 16 goals in two games including a 9-0 drubbing by Iran.
The Kyrgyzstan game will also serve as a tonic ahead of the home team's crucial fixture against Chinese Taipei on September 3 -- the day when the group winners will probably be decided.
Although a feel-good atmosphere is prevailing in the Bangladesh camp after their two impressive victories -- 3-0 against Iran and 5-0 over Singapore -- the scorelines hardly portrayed the hosts' supreme dominance. The fact is that had the strikers been more accurate they could have won by even bigger margins. The biggest problem for them has so far been their failure to get an early goal. It took them 63 minutes to open their account against Iran and against Singapore the first goal came in the 39th minute.
The good thing is that the players are aware of that and are ready to make amends. Captain Krishna Rani burst into tears after failing to score against Iran, but she returned to the next game and scored a brace. Sanjida, a true workhorse down the right flank, is still not happy with her shooting accuracy and coach Golam Rabbani Choton is enjoying a fierce competition within.
“A couple of players could not avail scoring opportunities in last two matches, so I have to think about it and there may be some changes in the starting eleven against Kyrgyzstan because there is no room for complacency,” said Choton, adding that he might start with young striking pair of Anuching Mogini and Tahura Khatun, who impressed after coming on as substitutes in the first two games.
However, the inability of finishing those fantastic moves, which was evident in the first two games, has more to do with finer-detailed expert counseling than their skills. And if they can curb that youthful rush of blood in front of the goal, Kyrgyzstan might be in for another big shock.
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