Police recovered from an opening-day defeat to claim their first win of the women’s football league, beating newly promoted Suddopuskorini 2–0 at the Shaheed Sipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur.
After losing 2–0 to Army in their opening fixture, Police produced a more assured display, led by former Bangladesh international midfielder Sanjida Akhter. She opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finishing calmly to give her side an early advantage and mark her first goal of the league campaign.
Police carried that one-goal lead into the interval before sealing the result late in the second half. With 30 minutes remaining, Irene Khatun added a second to put the outcome beyond doubt. Sanjida was later named player of the match for her influential performance in midfield.
Sanjida’s presence carries added significance. She is one of the senior players who had previously been part of the group that rebelled against British head coach Peter Butler. Along with figures such as Sabina Khatun and Krishna Rani Sarkar, she has not been recalled to the national team camp under Butler’s tenure.
While Sabina and others recently travelled to Thailand to play futsal, Sanjida opted to stay in Bangladesh and focus on the domestic league. Whether her form for Police will force a rethink from the national team coaching staff remains to be seen.
Most women’s league matches at Kamalapur are being played under floodlights, though the lighting is noticeably weaker than international standards. Following requests from the Bangladesh Football Federation, the National Sports Council is working to improve the floodlight system at the venue.
Bangladesh’s women’s national team recently qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in their history. The federation is planning to send the squad to Australia in mid-February as part of their preparations for the tournament.
