2024-03-02 21:47:13
Bangladesh coach Saiful Bari Titu was confident of winning the title before the start of the season. His disciples proved that in the match as well. And that’s how Bangladesh got a 2-0 win over Nepal in the first match of SAFF U-16 Women’s Championship.
Preeti scored two goals for Bangladesh in the match held in Lalitpur, a neighboring district of Kathmandu. Both goals came in the first half of the match. The first goal was scored in the 24th minute. The second goal came from the penalty spot in the 29th minute.
Bangladesh played aggressively from the beginning of the match. The first chance came in the fifth minute. But Alpi Akhtar hit it over the crossbar in a hurry after receiving a cross from Sathi Munda.
Alpi missed the opportunity again in the ninth minute. He volleyed after receiving a teammate’s extended ball from midfield. But this time the ball goes out. Finally, in the 24th minute, Preeti took the lead for Bangladesh. Alpi’s pass was caught by Sathi and Preeti took the ball. He took control of the ball and dodged the goalkeeper and sent the ball into the net with a right foot shot.
Bangladesh doubled the lead five minutes later. Nepal goalkeeper Jharna Dumrakoti dropped Alpi inside the box. The referee blew the penalty whistle without delay. Preeti took control of the match with a successful spot kick.
Bangladesh continued to control the ball in the second half as well. Preeti could have got a hat-trick in the 62nd minute. But Arifa Akhter’s cross went wide. After that, the girls of Bangladesh started playing defense. The gap did not increase.
Bangladesh took a step towards the final with such a win in their first match in this four-team tournament. The next match is against India. Bangladesh will play against India on March 5. India blasted Bhutan 7-0 yesterday on the first day.