Last chance saloon for Bangladesh

Despite back-to-back defeats, Bangladesh remain hopeful of reaching the knockout stage of the AFC Women’s U-20 Asian Cup, with a must-win clash against Vietnam in their final group match today.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 pm at Nonthaburi Stadium in Thailand.

Placed in Group A of the 12-team tournament, Bangladesh made a bright start to their campaign, racing to a 2-0 lead against hosts Thailand. However, a late collapse saw them suffer a 3-2 defeat, followed by a 2-0 loss to China in their second match.

A victory today could still see Bangladesh progress to the quarterfinals as one of the best third-placed teams. After two rounds of matches across all three groups, Bangladesh currently hold the best third-place position, owing to a comparatively lower negative goal difference.

The opportunity has boosted morale within the camp, according to assistant coach Abul Hossain.

“We still have a chance to qualify for the next round if we can win tomorrow, and that is motivating the players,” Abul said in a video message shared by the Bangladesh Football Federation.

“We are not putting any extra pressure on the players. We have told them to play their natural game, and the result will follow,” he added.