Munki, Trishna lead Bangladesh's 12-0 rout of Bhutan

Munki Akter scored four goals while Trishna Rani Sarkar slammed three as defending champions Bangladesh made a flying start with a 12–0 win against Bhutan in the opening match of the SAFF Under-19 Women’s Championship in Pokhara on Saturday.

Bangladesh, five-time champions of the competition, dominated proceedings from the outset but initially struggled to convert possession into goals. The deadlock was finally broken in the 28th minute when Mamoni Chakma delivered a stunning left-footed corner kick that found the net.

Trishna Rani doubled the lead in the 43rd minute after brilliant work down the right flank by Sauravi Akanda Prity, with Mamoni narrowly missing a touch before Trishna finished clinically.

Just a minute later, Munki extended the lead, slipping a precise shot past the Bhutan goalkeeper Sonam Choden from the left side of the box. Munki was on hand again in first-half stoppage time, brilliantly receiving a cross from Puja Das before turning sharply and finding the back of the net to make it 4-0 at the break.

Bangladesh continued to pile on the pressure after the interval. Trishna opened the second half with a powerful finish inside the box in the 54th minute, before completing her hattrick on the hour mark with a fine chipped effort, capitalising on a mistake by the Bhutan goalkeeper.

Alpi Akter made it 7–0 in the 73rd minute, taking advantage of confusion between the Bhutan keeper and a defender. Munki then completed her hattrick in the 81st minute with a crisp placed shot following a well-timed through ball.

Alpi added her second and the team’s ninth goal in the 86th minute with a simple tap-in, before Munki struck again in the third minute of stoppage time to take the score into double figures with a composed finish off a cut-back from Alpi.

The rout was completed when captain Arpita Biswas and Alpi scored one more goal each deep into added time, sealing a comprehensive 12-0 victory and giving Bangladesh a perfect start to their title defence.

English coach Peter Butler, who has emphasised development and talent identification over trophies ahead of the championship, saw his charges deliver a clinical performance despite limited preparation time in Pokhara following their commitments in the Bangladesh Women’s Football League.