Peter Butler wasted no time in setting the tone for Bangladesh’s women’s national football team as they arrived in Laos to begin their AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign. The squad landed yesterday and will open their Group C fixtures against hosts Laos on 6 August. With South Korea widely regarded as the strongest team in the group, Butler has stressed the importance of starting with a win to boost confidence and belief.
“You always want to start with a win,” said the English coach. “It sorts the mentality straight away.”
The team kicked off their preparations with an early morning training session in Vientiane. Butler was eager to help the players shake off any travel fatigue. “We started at six this morning. It was just a good opportunity to get the journey out of the system, out of the legs,” he explained. “The players have responded well, which is positive.”
While there were a few minor concerns in the camp, including “one or two little injuries” and a player suffering from fever, Butler reported that the team trained well overall.
For the coach, the first session was about more than just recovery. “I always think it’s important to get your first session under your belt, get the players moving, get them out of bed, shake them out of their comfort zone, and most importantly, get into a work mindset and a work ethic,” he said.
Butler, who took charge of Bangladesh earlier this year, praised the squad’s attitude. “The girls all know how I work. They always respond extremely well. Very positive,” he added.
Bangladesh will look to carry that positive energy into their first match against Laos, understanding that a win would give them momentum heading into their more challenging group games, particularly the meeting with South Korea later in the stage.
Sagarika, one of the key players in the squad, shared her thoughts: “We arrived here last night (Saturday). We had a training session this morning. It went really well. We are preparing for the match. Our goal is to win.”
Afeida Khandaker echoed the sentiment: “We had our first training session in Laos today. Everyone is in a good mood and healthy. Overall, the training session was good. It’s a new country, and we’re trying to adapt to everything. It feels great.”
When asked about their objectives for the tournament, Khandaker added: “Since our first match is against the host nation, Laos, we will try to play according to the coach’s instructions. Our main goal will be to win the match.”