Rajshahi Stars Football Club, led by Bangladesh women’s football icon Rituparna Chakma, produced a ruthless display to thrash defending champions Nasrin Sports Academy 12–0 in the women’s football league, highlighting the growing gap in quality within the competition.
The result has once again brought the standard of the domestic league into focus. British head coach of the Bangladesh women’s national team, Peter Butler, has previously been critical of the Bhutanese league, and with the Women’s Asian Cup just a couple of months away, similar concerns are now being raised about the competitiveness of the newly launched women’s league in Bangladesh.
Nasrin Sports Academy, champions last season, looked a shadow of their former selves. In the previous edition, the club featured almost the entire national team, including Rituparna Chakma and Sabina Khatun, and cruised to the title. This season, however, Nasrin do not have a single national team player, nor anyone from the BFF camp. After conceding eight goals in their previous match, they were completely overwhelmed again as Rajshahi ran riot.
Rajshahi Stars, meanwhile, have made an immediate statement in their debut season. A new club in women’s football, they have invested heavily from the outset, assembling a big-budget squad built around Rituparna Chakma and a blend of local and foreign talent. They are already being viewed as serious title contenders.
The match was effectively decided from the opening minute, when Shaheda Akter Ripa struck early to set the tone for a relentless goal spree. Nepalese forward Deepa Shahi was the standout performer, scoring four times. Surabhi Akand Priti and Shaheda Akter Ripa added two goals each, while Swapna Rani, Alpi Akter, Trishna Rani and Bangladesh captain Afida Khandakar all got on the scoresheet with one goal apiece.
