Rajshahi Stars ended their maiden AFC Women’s Champions League campaign with a statement victory, thrashing Guam’s Rovers FC 8-0 at Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday.
With their hopes of reaching the second round already over after defeats by East Bengal and Sabah FC, the Bangladesh champions had little more than pride at stake. They responded with their most convincing performance of the tournament, with Tahura Khatun scoring a hat-trick.
Rajshahi took control from the opening minutes and went ahead in the third minute. Shamsunnahar’s long-range effort caused confusion in the Rovers defence, with goalkeeper Deseha Mendiola unable to keep the ball out.
Tahura doubled the advantage in the 18th minute. Mosammat Sultana created the opening from the left before finding Tahura inside the box, where she calmly finished.
The forward struck again in the 25th minute to put Rajshahi 3-0 ahead before half-time.
There was no let-up after the break as Golam Robbani’s side continued to attack. Swarna Rani Mandal made it 4-0 in the 52nd minute after receiving a pass from Monika Chakma, beating her marker and finding the corner.
Monika added another a minute later, taking advantage of a one-on-one chance against the Rovers goalkeeper to extend the lead to five.
Tahura completed her hat-trick in the 60th minute, taking Rajshahi’s tally to six.
Shamsunnahar added the seventh in the 71st minute after capitalising on another defensive error, before Shamsunnahar Jr completed the scoring in stoppage time.
Rajshahi had opened their campaign with a 4-0 defeat against East Bengal and then lost 2-1 to hosts Sabah FC. Those results ended their hopes of progressing, but the eight-goal victory provided a strong finish to their first appearance in the continental competition.
For Tahura, the hat-trick was the highlight of a dominant attacking display, while Rajshahi’s clean sheet ensured they finished the tournament with a memorable result.
