Bangladesh’s U-20 women’s team are determined to put their opening-match disappointment behind them and concentrate on their next Group A clash against China in the AFC Women’s U-20 Asian Cup.
Having let a promising position slip in a 3-2 defeat to Thailand, the team remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage. Their next fixture, scheduled for 5 April, presents a sterner challenge against a Chinese side that began their campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Vietnam.
Despite the setback, Bangladesh sit third in the group and retain a realistic path to the quarter-finals, with group winners, runners-up, and the two best third-placed teams advancing.
Ahead of the China match, the squad trained at the Alpine Training Centre in Bangkok on 2 April, with coaching staff prioritising correction of mistakes from the Thailand game.
Assistant coach Abul Hossain said the defeat had been mentally taxing but stressed the importance of moving forward.
“This is an U-20 team, so it is natural for players to feel affected by mistakes,” he said. “Our job is to help them reset, learn from the errors and prepare properly for the next match.”
He added that the team is taking a match-by-match approach, focusing on game management, defensive organisation, and maintaining composure under pressure.
Bangladesh appeared on course for a winning start after Sagorika struck twice to give them control. However, defensive lapses including conceding two penalties, allowed Thailand to complete a comeback.
Captain Arpita Biswas reflected on the mental challenge after the first penalty:
“The first penalty really affected our mentality,” she said. “Once it went in, it was hard for the team to recover.”
Mosammat Sagorika echoed that sentiment regarding the second half:
“We played well in the first half, but couldn’t sustain that level after the break,” she said. “Once we conceded, our mentality dropped and we couldn’t recover.”
Despite the defeat, Sagorika took positives from her own performance, crediting her teammates for their support in her two goals.
