SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship Bangladesh open campaign with convincing victory

Bangladesh off to winning start in SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship

Bangladesh launched their SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship campaign with a commanding 3-1 victory over Bhutan at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu on Wednesday. The result gave the visitors early momentum in the tournament despite a spirited performance from the hosts.

Alpi Akter was the star of the night, netting twice, while Sauravi Akanda Prity added another. Bhutan’s Rinzin Dema Choden scored the lone goal for her side.

Bangladesh signaled their attacking intent from the outset. In just the second minute, Alpi tested the Bhutanese keeper with a sharp near-post effort. Prity came close in the 19th minute but was denied by the goalkeeper rushing off her line, while a goalbound header in the 33rd was cleared off the line.

The breakthrough came in first-half stoppage time when Arifa Akter’s long ball released Prity, who smartly beat her markers before slotting home.

Bangladesh continued to dominate after the restart. In the 53rd minute, Alpi doubled the lead with a clinical strike from the edge of the box. Bhutan pulled one back seven minutes later as Dema Choden capitalized on a fumble by the goalkeeper.

Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived, however, as Alpi struck again in the 66th minute, converting at the second attempt to restore Bangladesh’s two-goal cushion. Despite creating further chances, the visitors settled for a 3-1 win.

Head coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu praised his side’s effort but stressed the need for improvement.

“Alhamdulillah, we won the first match. We made some mistakes early on but managed to recover well. We’ll work on those and try to progress match by match,” Litu said.

He added that while Alpi and Prity created several opportunities, sharper execution in the attacking third will be vital going forward.

Bangladesh will next face India on Friday. The defending champions began their campaign in style with a thumping 7-0 victory over Nepal.