In an unprecedented turn of events at the Bashundhara Sports Complex, the Bangladesh under-20 women’s national football team triumphed 4-1 over Bhutan in the SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship, following a rare mid-match venue change due to heavy rainfall.
The match, which kicked off at 3:00 PM BST at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, was interrupted after the first half as torrential rain rendered the pitch unplayable. After two inspections, officials made the historic decision to shift the remainder of the game to the nearby Bashundhara Kings Arena Practice Ground, just a ten-minute walk away. The second half eventually resumed at 6:49 PM.
Despite the weather-induced disruption, Bangladesh started brightly. In the 7th minute, winger Umehla Marma’s cutback from the right caused chaos in the Bhutanese defense. After a missed connection by both Sree Moti Trishna Rani and Shanti Mardi, the latter recovered swiftly to slot home and give Bangladesh a 1-0 lead.
The second half, played on better turf, saw improved football from both sides. Bhutan equalized in the 53rd minute through Sangay Wangmo, who calmly finished a well-worked move.
However, the parity was short-lived. Just four minutes later, Shanti Mardi restored Bangladesh’s lead with her second goal of the game, capitalizing on a corner to make it 2-1.
The Tigresses continued their attacking momentum. Substitute Munki Akhter made it 3-1 in the 76th minute after a brilliant solo run from midfield. Three minutes later, Shanti Mardi completed her hat-trick, neatly converting a right-wing cross from Umehla Marma to extend the lead to 4-1.
No further goals were scored, and Bangladesh held on comfortably to record their third consecutive win in the tournament under head coach Peter Butler.
With this win, Bangladesh remain at the top of the table and are set to face Bhutan once again in their fourth match on Thursday.
