A 10-player Bangladesh side put up a spirited show despite going down 1-2 at the hands of the highest ranked India in their AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers Group B encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Hurt with the 2-1 loss against Iran in their opener, India appeared in an attacking mood from the very beginning but the Bangladeshi girls, buoyed by the wins against Jordan and UAE, arrived stronger than their opponent’s anticipation.
The hosts even drew first blood in the match that progressed on with the inconsistent refereeing of Australian referee Katherine Margaret. Countering continuous attacks added with the lack of experience eventually took the toll on the Bangladesh side whose fighting spirit saw the approximately 6,000 fans at the stadium give them a standing ovation while the referee was also booed.
Defender Masura Parvin’s sending off was the turning point in the game as Bangladesh played the last 26 minutes with 10 players and conceded the extra goal from the consequential free kick coming after Parvin’s dismissal.
Sanjida set the tone after converting from the penalty spot in the 20th minute after forward Krishna Rani was brought down by Indian defender Amrita Kumari.
However, the happiness was shortlived as Roja Devi equalised after nine minutes following the controversial penalty decision from Katherine.
In the 64th minute a high-foot clearance from Parvin just outside the box also hit the face of India’s Premi as Katherine showed no hesitation in sending her for the long walk. However, replays showed that the incident was completely accidental and the straight red was too harsh which also cost the hosts for the second time in the match.
From the resulting free kick Kashmina curved the ball from the edge of the box as Bangladesh goalkeeper Ayesha tried to push it over the bar, but a silly error saw the ball land in front of an unmarked Roja who made no mistake from handshaking distance.
Bangladesh face Iran in their last match while India will take on Jordan in their third match.
Earlier on the day, Jordan thrashed UAE 8-1 at the same venue. UAE posed no threat for the superior skilled Jordanians who were determined to shrug off the memory of the 0-1 loss to Bangladesh.
UAE earlier lost to Iran and Bangladesh by 9-0 and 6-0 goals respectively.
