Forward Sree Moti Trishna Rani netted a superb hat-trick as Bangladesh continued their impressive run in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers with a commanding 8-0 win over Timor-Leste in a Group H fixture at the Laos National Stadium on Friday.
The result, following their 3-1 win against hosts Laos, keeps Bangladesh firmly in contention for one of the three best runners-up spots among eight groups as they prepare for a decisive test against group favourites South Korea on Sunday.
Peter Butler’s side dominated from the outset, with Sinha Jahan Shikha heading in the opener from a Sapna Rani corner in the 20th minute. Shanti Mardi made it 2-0 soon after from another set-piece before defender Nabiran Khatun added a third from Shanti’s delivery. Trishna struck her first goal in first-half stoppage time to give Bangladesh a 4-0 lead at the break.
The second half saw more of the same, as Trishna added two more to complete her hat-trick. Mosammat Sagorika, who scored a brace in the previous match, broke through the defence to net the sixth, while Munki Akter rounded off the scoring deep into stoppage time.
With six points from two matches and a significant boost in goal difference, Bangladesh’s qualification hopes remain alive heading into their final group fixture.