Bangladesh stormed into the Bangamata Under-19 Women’s International Gold Cup final inflicting a 3-0 defeat on Mongolia in the second semifinal of the tournament at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Midfielder Monika Chakma, forwards Marzia and Tahura Khatun of Bangladesh scored one goal each to seal the victory. The girls in red and green will now face Laos in the final on May 4.
The girls in red and green started the first half in a stormy fashion as they were a constant threat in Mongolia’s half. In the 18th minute of the match forward Sanjida Akhter dribbled past two defenders and shoots. However, the ball hit crossbar. The girls continued with their constant attacks but their poor finishing frustrated them several times. Most of their attacks came from the left flank. It was looking like Mongolia have weathered the storm but just before two additional minutes of the first half, midfielder Monika Chakma finally broke the deadlock. She volleyed the ball outside of D-box and scored an absolute stunner to give Bangladesh the lead.
Second half started in the same manner as the girls in red and green were a force to be reckoned with in the opposition half. In the 50th minute, Tahura darted forward with the ball and cut inside Mongolia’s half, Marzia then took the ball from her but couldn’t find the back of the net with another poor finish. Two more good chances came within 60th minute but lack of finishing abilities carried on.
Then finally in the 67th minute of the match, a defense splitting through ball from midfield found Marzia who put the ball in the back of the net with an exquisite finish, giving Bangladesh a 2-0 lead and ended any chance of Mongolia’s comeback. Bangladesh extended their lead in the 83rd minute of the match with substitute Tahura putting her name on the score sheet. Mongolia only had one shot on goal which reflects the match was women against girls.
