Blistering start for hosts
Hosts Bangladesh got off to a blistering start in their opening Group F fixture of the AFC U-16 Women's Championship Qualifiers with a 10-0 win over minnows Bahrain at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur yesterday.
Maria Manda, Shamsunnahar Jr and Anuching Mogini scored a brace apiece while Anai Mogini, Sajeda Khatun, Shamsunnahar Sr and Saraban Tahura netted one goal each in the one-sided affair.
However, despite the massive margin of victory, it was not an entirely impressive performance from Golam Rabbani Choton's charges against a side who have only just started playing football.
The Bahrain team came into the tournament with a two-month preparation after coming into football a year ago, according to coach Khaled Hassan. They conceded an 8-0 defeat against Lebanon in their opening match and hardly had an answer to the goal glut yesterday. The Bahrain players frequently interrupted play by lying down on the pitch following light tussles with the Bangladeshi players.
However, Bangladesh failed to take full advantage of their opposition's lack of experience. The Bangladesh players, who have been in training for nearly two years since their qualification for the 2017 final round, looked disorganised in the first half and lacked a proper game plan before settling down after the break.
Amid some disorganised displays early on, right-back Anai broke the deadlock in the ninth minute, driving home a cross from the right over the head of goalkeeper Zahra Nezar, who was also helpless against a 25-yard shot from Maria in the 16th minute.
Anuching scored two successive goals from goalmouth scrambles to make it 4-0 before Shamsunahar Jr scored the fifth goal after wasting a few chances.
The home side played better in the second half and built the game through the flanks and added five more goals against Bahrain, who had to play the last 30 minutes with 10 players following the sending off of Dana Bassem due to two bookable offences.
“We have started the campaign in positive way and the girls tried to give their best in the match,” Choton said. “We dominated the match with better ball possession and we played long ball tactic due to the compact defence of the opposition.”
In the day's first match, Lebanon beat UAE 6-3 to top the group with six points from two matches while Bangladesh and Vietnam are in joint second position with three points each from one match.
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