Bangladesh fail Iran test

Bangladesh failed to qualify for the final stage of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2024 qualifiers as they lost their final qualifier group stage match against Iran 1-0 at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.

Iran will be moving on to the next stage as the winner from group H with six points from two wins. Bangladesh ended behind Iran, with three points from two matches.

Bangladesh started their qualifier with a 4-0 victory against Turkmenistan, and the fans were hopeful they would qualify for the final stage but failed to bring the required result in the final match.

Both Bangladesh and Iran headed into the match with three points each, as both had won their first match against Turkmenistan. Iran needed a draw to go through to the next round as they were ahead in goal difference, meaning Bangladesh needed a win to keep their hopes alive.

The match was filled with attacks and counter-attacks, but none of the sides managed to break the opposing defence in the first half. In the 21st minute of the game, Bangladeshi attacker Sapna Rani found a rare opportunity to score but shot it out wide.

The pressure was on the hosts as they needed a win, and as the game was closing in, the pressure only increased. The absence of Shamsunnahar up front was noticeable as every time the hosts crossed the ball into the box, there was no one to meet it. They tried to break the Iranian defence and went all-out in attack but conceded on the counter instead.

In the 85th minute, the Iranian goalkeeper made a save and punted it to the Bangladesh half where Iranian attacker Negen found the ball and finished it coolly after dribbling past Bangladeshi skipper Rupna Chakma. Iran then kept

possession to finish the game in their favour.