Buoyed by two consecutive wins, an unprecedented feat in the country’s women’s football, the Bangladesh Under-16 team are now looking forward to matching the prowess of powerhouses India and Iran in the ongoing AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2015 Qualifiers.
Coach Golam Rabbani Choton, ace winger Sanjida Akhter and skipper Monika Chakma have not been complacent with their success so far. Rather, they are ready to fight it out for further glory. Success attracts people and it was evident at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. The occasion was U-16 women’s football, to be precise it should be called U-16 girls’ football. However, due to the regulations of world football’s governing body Fifa, the word girls cannot be used. The ruling body of world football prefers the word women and that is why the qualifying tournament boasts such a title.
Around 5,000 fans cheered the local girls en route to their thumping 6-0 victory over UAE and it was indeed a rare phenomenon. In Bangladesh, a lack of spectators is a common sight in big matches but 5,000 fans and a gallery ticket costing Tk50 in U-16 women’s football was not supposed to attract many people. But it was a different story this time around. The team were supported throughout the match and the response was positive.
Sanjida, Krishna Rani, Monika and Razia showed exceptional footwork and courage to stamp their authority. Super sub Lipi Akhter enthralled everyone with her quick dashes of pace and control. The crowd was enjoying the scenario and after the conclusion of the qualifying game, the players went in front of the gallery where they received a standing ovation. A rare sight to behold.
Following the end of the game, Choton expressed satisfaction over the success. “We took the field to win. UAE was our target from the beginning and we did it in style. We are happy to achieve our target. We will try hard to continue the success story in the next two matches and obviously both India and Iran are very strong opponents,” said Choton.
Choton said what satisfied him most was the fighting spirit of his charges. “From the very beginning I have been saying this team will not lose before taking the field. The Bangladesh team earlier lost the mental game but this team have a different temperament. I hope in the two matches they will prove it,” said the coach.
Choton was left to rue Sanjida’s missed opportunity to grab a hat-trick. “It is the only regret of the match. I thought she deserved a hat-trick but it did not happen,” said Choton.
The same tune was echoed by Sanjida. “Scoring three goals in two matches made me happy and I cannot express my feelings. However, I would have been happier if I was able to slam a hat-trick,” said Sanjida.
Skipper Monika said both India and Iran are stronger than Bangladesh. “We will not be afraid. We will be fighting and hope we can notch at least a draw against India in the next match. Today (yesterday) our coach said we needed to score goals and we scored six. We are confident of playing good football in the next matches,” said the skipper.
UAE’s Ethiopian coach Samir Landolsi said his team have been practising for only two months and they are still learners. He praised Bangladesh’s approach and attitude.