Tahura Khatun was in high spirits after scoring her first senior international hat-trick Sunday, dedicating her Player of the Match award to two of her favorite former coaches.
Thanks to Tahura’s stunning treble, Bangladesh crushed Bhutan 7-1 in the semi-final of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024, securing a place in the final for the second consecutive time.
“I’m feeling very good. Every player gave their best, and we reached the final in the end. The players played their best, which is why I managed to score the hat-trick,” said Tahura during the post-match presentation.
Tahura was awarded Player of the Match ahead of captain Sabina Khatun, who scored twice.
She dedicated the award to former national women’s team head coach Golam Rabbani Choton and her first football mentor, Mofiz Uddin, a primary school teacher from rural Mymensingh.
“I want to dedicate this trophy (showing the Player of the Match souvenir) to my two favorite former coaches - Choton Sir and Mofiz Sir,” said the 21-year old striker.
Tahura also scored against Bhutan as a substitute in the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship.
With numerous goals for the youth national women’s team, she became a regular in the senior side last year, where she scored consecutive braces against Singapore.
Now a regular starter in this SAFF campaign, Tahura has scored five goals in her last two matches, including a brace in the final group game that helped Bangladesh defeat India 3-1 and secure a spot in the semi-finals.
