Bangladesh crush East Timor 8-0 in U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers

In their second match of the U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers, Bangladesh thrashed East Timor 8-0 today. Trishna Rani scored a hat-trick, while Sinha Jahan Shikha, Shanti Mardi, Nabiran Khatun, Munki Akter, and Mosammat Sagarika scored one goal each. Bangladesh will face South Korea in their final group stage match next Sunday.

At the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane, Bangladesh struggled to make much of an impact in the first 15 minutes. Several promising attacks built from the midfield went to waste as the forwards failed to convert. Finally, in the 20th minute, Shikha broke the deadlock with a perfect header from a corner by Swapna Rani.

In the 33rd minute, Shanti Mardi doubled the lead with an Olympic goal, as her corner hit the post and went straight in. Just three minutes later, another corner from Mardi was headed brilliantly into the net by Nabiran Khatun. In stoppage time of the first half, Trishna Rani made it 4-0 with a gentle finish from a pass by Mosammat Sagarika.

After the break, East Timor struggled not just to fight back but even to stop Bangladesh's relentless attacks. In the 57th minute, coach Peter Butler's side found their fifth goal. Shikha's attempt in a goalmouth scramble was blocked by East Timor goalkeeper Halina Marchi, but the danger wasn't cleared. Trishna pounced on the rebound to score her second and Bangladesh's fifth.

In the 73rd minute, Sagarika snatched the ball from an opponent and charged towards goal. With only goalkeeper Marchi in front of her, she calmly dribbled past and slotted the ball in to make it 6-0. In the 82nd minute, Sagarika's run down the right flank ended with a pass into the box, where Trishna tapped in to complete her hat-trick.

Just before the final whistle, Munki added the eighth goal.

Last month, the Bangladesh women's national football team qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time after a stellar performance in the qualifiers in Myanmar. If the ongoing U-20 qualifiers in Laos are also successful, the juniors will write their own history.

In Group H, the Bangladesh U-20 women's team will secure a spot in the main round if they finish top of the table. Even finishing second will keep their hopes alive, as the eight group winners and the three best runners-up will qualify for next year's main tournament in Thailand.

With two consecutive wins and six points, Bangladesh remain in a strong position to achieve that goal. Their toughest group opponent, South Korea, beat East Timor 9-0 in their opening match.