Alpi Akter scored twice and Sauravi Akanda Prity added another as Bangladesh started their SAFF U-17 Women's Championship campaign with a 3-1 win against hosts Bhutan at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu on Wednesday.
It was a comfortable victory for the charges of Mahbubur Rahman Litu, the assistant coach stepping in for Peter Butler, but far from a convincing one for a team that had brushed aside the same opposition with a 6-0 drubbing on way to claiming the title in the under-16 event last year.
The girls in red and green had their chances though to claim a much bigger margin of victory, but Bhutan goalkeeper Kelzang Wangmo was in inspired form, especially in the first half, as she thwarted a number of goal-bound attempts from Bangladesh.
It started in the second minute when Wangmo made a one-handed diving save to deny Alpi the opening goal before denying Prity from a one-on-one situation in the 20th minute. The Bhutan shot-stopper produced another fine save to deny Alpi again in the 28th minute before the Bangladesh No. 9 saw her header cleared off the goalline by a Bhutan defender.
Prity, who had emerged as the top-scorer and the best player last year, hit the crossbar from the edge of the box in the 42nd minute before finally breaking the deadlock in the third minute of stoppage time, heading in Shiuly Roy's lob as Wangmo and two defedners were caught in a tangle.
Alpi doubled Bangladesh's lead nine minutes after restart with a powerful shot from the edge of the box following a nice little pirouette as Bangladesh started to breathe easy. However, two unfortunate injuries – one for midfielder Moumita Khatun in the first half and another for Prity early in the second half, debilitated Bangladesh's attacking options.
It was trouble at the back too as goalkeeper Meghla Roy's fumble in the 63rd minute helped Bhutan reduce the margin, courtesy of Rinzin Choden's fine finish. Alpi, however, restored Bangladesh's two-goal cushion two minutes later, bundling in a corner on the second attempt before Mamoni Chakma had a shot cleared off the goalline by a Bhutan player.
Coach Litu expressed his concern over the mistakes that the team made as Bangladesh will face India, who beat Nepal 7-0 in the first match on Wednesday, in their second match of the four-team competition on Friday.
"I think we made a few mistakes, especially early on but we came back well. We will work on the mistakes we have made," Litu said.
"It was a bit difficult to get accustomed to the conditions since it was the first match. Our strikers, Alpi and Prity, created a few chances but we could not take full toll. We will work on these issues in the next practice session," the coach added.
