Bangladesh women have not lost hope after defeats against China and DPR Korea in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Team physio Isnad Zaman said the players accepted the results and quickly moved on.
Bangladesh lost their first two Group B matches against two of the strongest teams in Asia. China are nine time champions of the tournament. DPR Korea have won it three times. Even after these losses, the Bangladesh players believe they learned valuable lessons.
The team has now travelled to Perth for their final group match. Bangladesh will face Uzbekistan on Monday.
Both teams lost to China and DPR Korea in their earlier matches. Neither side has any points yet. Bangladesh sit at the bottom of the group table after conceding more goals. Uzbekistan are in third place.
Only the group winners and runners up will qualify directly for the quarterfinals. The best two teams among the three third placed sides will also move to the next round. Bangladesh must beat Uzbekistan to keep their hopes alive.
Head coach Peter James Butler had planned for the Uzbekistan match even before the team left Bangladesh. The players also saw this match as their key target in the group.
Bangladesh reached Perth from Sydney on Saturday. The team did not train after arrival. Butler decided to give the players rest after two demanding matches.
Through the Bangladesh Football Federation, physio Isnad shared an update on the squad’s condition.
“Yes, the match against DPR Korea was quite tough. I would say the players were mentally a bit upset right after the match, which is normal. But they recovered very quickly. We have arrived in Perth today and all players are feeling quite good.”
“To be honest, the match against China was more physically challenging. Right now almost all players are healthy and there are no major injuries. There are a few small issues which we will manage today. We have just arrived at the hotel in Perth and are arranging our medical room. We will start treatment sessions later in the afternoon. The players are in a good mood. We have done light exercises and stretching. They are cheerful but also focused and ready for the next match.”
Isnad said the players have stayed positive despite the heavy loss to DPR Korea.
“I think the players are recovering well after the match against DPR Korea. Today they look mentally stronger. Even after the 5-0 defeat they did not break down too much. They accepted that DPR Korea are a very strong team. At the same time they know they could not give their best. So now they are fully focused on the next match. We have a training session tomorrow. Today we also went to the park.”
He also believes the team can still finish the tournament on a positive note.
“I think our tournament will go quite well. The players performed strongly in the first match against China. Now they are fully ready for the Uzbekistan match and we hope it will be a good game.”
