A dying time strike from Sagorika gave stunning victory over India to make their room into the final in the ongoing SAFF Under-19 Women Football Championship at the Bir Sreshtha Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Kamalapur on Sunday.
Bangladesh women after winning their successive second match earned full six points when India and Nepal earned one point each from their two outings.
Meanwhile, both the sides began their campaign on Friday with winning note when India just thrashed Bhutan by 10-0 and Bangladesh won their first match against Nepal by 3-1, so the second match turned very important for both sides to confirm the final birth before the last match to play.
However, on the day both the hosts Bangladesh women and their Indian counterparts began the match with high intensity and went on attacking approach right after the first whistle.
The first half of the match ended in goalless draw when both the sides worked hard to score goals with Bangladesh progressed with better scoring chances but the Indian defenders confidently dealt with the pressure to spoil the forwards’ efforts.
Bangladesh, who enjoyed the better possessions throughout the encounter, had to wait until 90 minutes to open the net.
Finally, Sagorika, who scored two goals in the first match against Nepal, struck a beautiful goal just in the dying minute of the game.
However, Bangladesh women, who started the second half with same fashion, drew the first blood inside three minutes of the second half with going closer to open the scoring but this time also defender Puja superbly tackled the situation when Eti Khatun was nearer to the post to take possession of a high ball. In the long 90 minutes encounter when the match was seemingly heading to goalless draw, Sagorika broke the deadlock with a stunning effort.
This time, Bangladesh captain Afida Khondokar from their half set a long ball nearer to the opponents’ 25 yards box that found Sagorika, who superbly controlled the possession and ran faster towards the post, as two of her markers failed to stop.
Sagorika kept her cool to send the ball into net when the Indian goalkeeper Anika Devi advanced to grip the ball (1-0).
Anika Devi ruined plenty of scoring chances from Bangladesh forwards but finally she failed halt Sagprika, as she (Anika) was fully beaten.