Bangladesh’s women walked into Friday morning’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group B clash against three-time champions DPR Korea knowing the size of the task, and the first half delivered exactly that. At BST 8:00 am kick-off, Peter Butler’s side fought to survive wave after wave of Korean pressure before conceding twice deep in stoppage time. Midfielder Myong Yu Jong converted a penalty in the 45+6 minute and forward Kim Kyong Yong struck again a minute later to give Korea a 2-0 lead at the interval.
Butler made two changes to the starting XI after the previous match, while sticking to a defensive 5-4-1 system. The shape told the story immediately. Bangladesh packed bodies around the box and tried to frustrate a Korean side that moved the ball quickly across the pitch.
Korea dominated possession from the opening whistle. They pushed Bangladesh deeper and deeper, stretching the defence from flank to flank and forcing the backline to stay compact inside the penalty area.
The first real scare arrived in the 8th minute. Korea broke through one-on-one, but goalkeeper Mile Akter reacted sharply and blocked the effort. The save left her briefly in pain, yet she quickly recovered and continued organising the defence.
Korea thought they had taken the lead in the 14th minute. A neat passing move down the right opened the defence before Kim Kyong Yong slid the ball into the net. VAR quickly intervened and spotted a handball by Myong Yu Jong during the move, forcing the referee to rule the goal out.
Bangladesh escaped again in the 28th minute after a Korean corner caused chaos inside the box. Myong Yu Jong’s header dropped on the goal line and Han Jin Hong smashed the loose ball into the net. VAR stepped in once more and ruled that the striker kicked the ball while Mile Akter had it under control, cancelling the goal.
Korea found the net again in the 31st minute through Kim Kyong Yong, but the assistant referee raised the flag for offside. The decision survived another VAR check, marking the third Korean goal to disappear.
Despite those reprieves, Bangladesh never found space to attack. Every player focused on defending as Korea continued to probe for openings.
The closest Korea came before the break arrived in the 38th minute. Kim Kyong Yong rose highest to meet a cross and powered a header goalwards, only to see the ball smash off the crossbar.
Butler reacted in the 45th minute by making three substitutions at once. He introduced Swapna Rani, Anika Rania Siddiqui and Umehla Marma while withdrawing Tohura Khatun, Airin Khatun and Shamsunnahar Jr in an attempt to stabilise the midfield.
For a moment, Bangladesh looked ready to reach the interval unscathed. Then stoppage time turned the match on its head.
In the 45+6 minute, Hong Song Ok burst into the penalty area and drew three defenders toward her. Bangladesh captain Afeida Khandaker grabbed the Korean midfielder’s shirt while trying to stop the run, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.
Myong Yu Jong stepped up and calmly drilled the penalty into the bottom-right corner to finally break Bangladesh’s resistance.
Korea struck again almost instantly in the 45+7 minute. Chae Un Yong slipped a pass into the right side of the box and Kim Kyong Young fired a powerful shot into the net, doubling the lead before Bangladesh could regroup.
After surviving nearly the entire half under relentless pressure, Bangladesh finally cracked in the final seconds. They now head into the second half trailing 2-0 after a punishing opening 45 minutes against one of Asia’s most formidable teams.
