BJMC get their revenge

Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) were crowned new champions in the KFC National Women's Football Championship after an emphatic 7-1 win over holders Mymensingh at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur yesterday.

National strikers Sabina Khatun and Ishrat Jahanan Swapna made the difference in the final. The pair shared all seven goals -- four from Sabina and three from substitute Swapna -- as BJMC clinced their first ever national trophy.

Unlike domestic men's league matches, there were some 1,000 raucous spectators at the big bowl to support their sides. Both teams, especially the youths of Mymensingh -- who are from Kalsindur High School under Dhobaura Upazila -- put up an entertaining display of football.

Last season, Mymensingh came from nowhere to win the national women's football title, thanks to the brilliant performance of this group of girls who were products of the Kalsindhur Govt. Primary School.

This time they also put up promising performance to reach the final, but were ultimately overwhelmed.

Sabina and Swapan were unstoppable upfront as BJMC added six goals after scoring just once in the first half.

While the joyous BJMC team celebrated their triumph after the final whistle, the girls from Kalsindur broke into tears, with Nazma slipping into unconsciousness. She was immediately sent to hospital and the BJMC women stopped their celebrations to pacify their opponents.

"We are more mature than them [Mymensingh] and had better technique and tactics. Though they played well in the final, our target was to beat Mymensingh and avenge last edition's semifinal defeat," said BJMC striker Sabina, who scored 22 goals in the championship.