Dhaka: Bangladesh conceded a 2-1 goal defeat to upper-ranked Azerbaijan in the last match of the Tri Nation Series held at National Stadium today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, with this win, Azerbaijan maintained their winning run in the tournament after they beat Malaysia by 2-0 goals in their tournament opening match. Bangladesh lost to Malaysia by 1-0 in their tournament opener.
Bangladesh started the match quite positively in the first twelve minutes but failed to capitalize on the opportunities. Thanks to custodian Rupna Chakma, who was superb under the bar, foiling a number of attacks from Azerbaijan during the proceedings. The match was locked in a 1-1 draw at the breather.
Ranked 74th in FIFA rankings, Azerbaijan took the lead in the 20th minute. Captain Jafarzada Sevinj sent the ball to the net with a stunning header from the top of the box. Maria Manda restored the parity for Bangladesh following a well-worked corner routine in the 34th minute. Sapna Rani floated a teasing delivery from the left, and Azerbaijan custodian Sharifova Aytaj fisted the ball to clear. Maria Manda connected sweetly with a left-footer volley that found the net directly, giving Aytaj no chance.
Azerbaijan continued to press and came close to scoring in the 44th minute despite finding Bangladesh goalkeeper Rupna alone under the bar. After the resumption, Bangladesh missed another scoring chance in the 52nd minute. Darting down from the left wing, Ritu Porna provided a cross to Monika, but her header went out of play narrowly beside the left side bar.
Azerbaijan was desperately looking forward to increasing the margin but found it difficult to carve open the Bangladesh defense. Manya Esra, however, sealed the victory by scoring the second goal in the 84th minute with a right-footer shot from inside the D-box after utilizing a cross from Acar Yeliz from the left wing. Bangladesh tried their best to stage a fight back in the match but could not score any in the remaining proceedings.
The Bangladesh squad included Rupna Chakma, Sheuli Azim, Shamsunnahar(Sr), Afeida Khandakar, Monika Chakma, Sapna Rani, Maria Manda, Tohura Khatun, Ritu Porna Chakma, Shamsunnahar(Jr), and Nabiran Khatun.