History has been made.
Bangladesh women have done it.
They have achieved one of the biggest successes in the football history of Bangladesh, outclassing hosts Nepal in the final of the Saff Women’s Championship 2022 at Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu.
Hopes were shattered in the last few occasions as the Bengal Tigresses lost three semi-finals and one final among the previous five editions.
But this time glory has come for the Red and Green and that too in stunning fashion.
Bangladesh not only defeated their opponents along the way, they literally outplayed them in every match to reign as champions of South Asian women’s football.
It was beautiful football from the Red and Green.
In fact, it was a complete display of the beautiful game in each game, be it ball possession, attack, counterattack and defending.
Bangladesh’s defence was rock solid, midfield organized and attack threatening in all the games.
Bangladesh scored 23 goals in five games and just conceded once, in the 72nd minute of the final, summing up their dominant performances over their opponents throughout the tournament.
Awards came to Bangladesh on individual scale as well as captain Sabina Khatun finished as the highest scorer with eight goals, including two hat-tricks, and was also adjudged Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Bangladesh goalkeeper Rupna Chakma was also named the best goalie of the competition.
Overall, Bangladesh went on to win the fair play award for their clinical execution of performance in the football pitch.
Credit also goes to head coach Golam Rabbani Choton and all the coaching staffs and management for this success.
This result will be written in golden letters in the history of Bangladesh sports.
Let’s recap the tournament match by match from Bangladesh’s perspective:
Bangladesh v Maldives, group stage
Bangladesh were off to a flyer against Maldives in the opening match as they defeated them comfortably by 3-0 margin on September 7. Sabina led from the front as the prolific striker netted two goals, while defender Masura Parvin scored the other. Sabina was familiar to quite a few players of the Maldives team as she has played in the island nation's domestic league four times in her career. She played for Police team in 2015, Army twice in 2016 and played for the same team in 2021 again.
Sabina did not waste the opportunity to shine bright against familiar faces as her first goal, a right footed strike, from 40 yards was one of the top notch moments of the match as Bangladesh dominated all the way to the finish. A confident start to the campaign for the Bengal Tigresses.
Bangladesh v Pakistan, group stage
Next opponents were Pakistan on September 10 and Bangladesh were confident after making a great start to the campaign. Their confidence showed on the pitch as they thumped Pakistan 6-0 and did not give a sniff of a chance to their opponents. Sabina once again rose to the occasion as she grabbed a superb hat-trick while Monika Chakma, Sirat Jahan Shopna and Rituporna Chakma scored one each.
Pakistan were no match for the Bangladesh women who led 4-0 at the first half break before adding four more after resumption. Bangladesh broke the deadlock in just the third minute when Monika found the back of the net with her right-footed effort after an opposition defender failed to clear a Sabina pass. And after the first goal they took control of the game straightaway and finished the game on a high.
Bangladesh v India, group stage
India were the toughest opponents in the group stage and it was definitely a tough encounter for the Red and Green as they had never defeated their neighbors in the history of the Saff competition prior to that game. They managed to draw only once and lost the remaining five in previous encounters in Saff.
Bangladesh proved to be the better team in every aspect as they dominantly defeated the defending champions 3-0 and became group champions. Shopna scored a brace while Krishna Rani Sarkar netted the other to complete the rout against India. Sabina had a brilliant game overall even though she did not score.
Bangladesh v Bhutan, semi-final
Bangladesh faced Bhutan in the first semi-final and they were on top of their game after thrashing Maldives, Pakistan and India in the group stage. The Bengal Tigresses were in complete control from the early minutes of the game and produced a thumping victory of 8-0 margin to storm into the Saff final. Bhutan had no answer against Bangladesh attack as they looked clueless.
Sabina continued her red hot form in the tournament and grabbed another hat-trick against Bhutan. Shopna, Rituporna, Krishna Rani, Masura and Tahura Khatun were also on the scoresheet as they netted one apiece. Bangladesh dominated as they scored four goals in each half to produce a flawless performance and roar into the final. Sabina again produced a stellar performance and became top scorer of the tournament with eight goals.
Bangladesh v Nepal, final
The final was against hosts Nepal. The pressure was on. It was Bangladesh’s second final in Saff history and they were flying high. But Nepal were always a dangerous opponent to beat as they defeated defending champions and tournament favorites India in a gritty semi-final. And almost 15,000 home fans were cheering for the host nation which was extra advantage for Nepal. But Bangladesh players kept their cool in the first 10 minutes and scored a beautiful team goal in the 14th minute to stun the crowd.
Shamsunnahar Jr netted with a brilliant finish from a superb cross by Monika from the right wing. Krishna Rani doubled the lead in the 42nd minute with a fine left-footed finish after being set up by Sabina. And although Nepal pulled one back in the 70th minute, Bangladesh had the last laugh as Krishna Rani grabbed her second in the 77th minute to seal the historic win.
