The Bangladesh-U19 girls were once again defeated and as a result knocked-out in the group stages of the AFC 19 Women’s Championship Qualifiers, this time by Chinese Taipei-U19, at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, Tajikistan.
Goals from Lin Hsin-Hui (44th min) Chen Hsiu-Wen (51st min) were good enough to ensure victory for the Chinese Taipei even though the girls in red and green gave them a good fight and head coach Golam Rabbani Choton echoed that sentiment.
“It was a disappointing scoreline after a spirited and mature performance from the girls. Bangladesh fielded six U16 players in their starting eleven with Tohura coming on the field at half time to make it 7 U16 players. Chinese Taipei were all 18 and 19 years of age and were both physically strong and ruthlessly competitive,” he said.
After giving compliment to the Chinese Taipei girls, while also admitting the age difference between the two teams was a factor, the coach added: “Two unfortunate defensive mistakes resulted in a 2-0 scoreline, however throughout Bangladesh gave a good account of themselves with four clear chances with one of them hitting the post and the opponents goalkeeper making two smart saves. The performance was encouraging and exciting considering the age of the players, but they must learn quickly and make sure these mistakes do not continue to happen.”
There was more praise heaped on the girls but the coached mentioned the growth and development of a few individuals in particular: “The manner and style of the Bangladesh play represented their growth and development as a group of players. Individual performances from Shopna, Ritu, Tohura, Monica and Akhi were extremely pleasing. Whilst Chinese Taipei were extremely resilient Bangladesh dominated the last quarter of the game and were extremely strong in the latter stage of the second half. Their energy and passion was typical of how far the players have come. Fast, forward passing and interchange of positions was evident in their play throughout.”
Bangladesh will play their last game against the hosts Tajikistan in 24 hours time on Saturday.
