Bangladesh Under-16 women’s football team ended their AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship Qualifying campaign on a high note when they thrashed United Arab Emirates 4-0 at the Bangabandhu National stadium on Monday. In-form forward Krishna Rani, who ended the campaign as the highest scorer with eight goals, scored a brace while Anuching Mogini and Tohura Khatun netted one each to give the girls in Red and Green another comfortable victory.
Bangladesh, who confirmed their place for the next year’s AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship final round in Thailand with four straight wins, maintained their hundred per cent winning record in the tournament with the win.
The hosts fielded an unchanged XI that beat Chinese Taipei in their previous match.
Captain Krishna Rani took only three minutes to give her team a deserving lead when she headed home in a corner of Marzia.
Bangladesh could double the margin in the 37th minute when Krishna earned a penalty for the hosts but Samsunnahar, who converted three penalties in the previous matches, failed to score.
However, Krishna doubled the lead in the 53rd minute tapping home following a corner of Sanjida.
Krishna’s attacking partner Anuching extended the lead and notched her fifth goal of the qualifiers just three minutes later, when the striker tapped the ball home past UAE keeper from the middle of the box.
Substitute forward Tohura completed the rout in the 86th minute when she headed home a neat cross from substitute winger Monika from the left flank.
After the win coach Golam Rabbani Choton requested the Bangladesh football federation to arrange an adequate number of warm-up matches to their preparation for next year’s final round in September.
‘We achieved our primary target but there is still a lot to go,’ said a jubilant Choton.
‘We will have to face stronger opponents in the final stage and for that we will have to prepare ourselves properly.
‘I have already discussed about the issue with the top BFF officials, who promised me to arrange warm-up matches against stronger opponents regularly.’
Krishna, who was brilliant all through the qualifiers, also expressed her joy after the win.
‘I’m really happy to score eight goals,’ she said adding that, ‘Due to poor condition of the ground I failed to score more than two goals today but I’m happy to see my team-mates scored the other goals.’
RESULT
Bangladesh U-16 Women 4 (Krishna 3, 52, Anuching 56, Tohura 86) v UAE
U-16 Women 0
-With New Age input
