A brace from Tahura Khatun powered Bangladesh women's football team to a convincing 3-0 win over Singapore in the first of the two FIFA friendly matches at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur on Friday (Dec 1). Defender Afeida Khandokar gave Bangladesh the lead in the third minute with a close-range header before Tahura found the net on either side of the break to wrap up the victory.
This is Bangladesh's first win since they clinched their maiden SAFF Women's Championship title in September last year. They've played six international matches since then, a period which coincides with the departure of head coach Golam Rabbani Choton.
Bangladesh dominated against the side 12 ranked better than them from the beginning and could easily get a few more goals.
The hosts took a lead very early in the match. Coach Saiful Bari Titu deployed a 4-4-2 and Bangladesh women started attacking from the word go.
Just in the third minute of the game captain Sabina Khatun got a pass from the free kick and crossed into the box where Afaida made a head. The head hit the crossbar but bounced inside the post to give Bangladesh a lead of 1-0.
Bangladesh doubled the lead 12 minutes later when Maria Manda dribbled past three players to provide a pass to Tahura and the striker did not make any mistake slotting the ball home.
Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun could get a goal in the 26th minute when her powerful shot went just wide off the post. The hosts continued attacking but could not add to their tally before the break.
Tahura, however, got her second goal at the one-hour mark. Masura Parvin provided an inch perfect long-ball into the box and Tahura finished like a true striker as she used the toe of her boot to lob the ball over the goalie’s head.
But her co-striker Maria failed to show the precision 10 minutes later when she got the ball into the space at the box but squandered the chance by putting it wide of the goalkeeper.
Singapore goalkeeper was brilliant five minutes later when she made a double save and denied Tahura from a hattrick.
Bangladesh continued to search for the fourth goal but had to leave the field with a 3-0 win in the one-sided match where their opponents could not even make a single shot on target.
