A chastening defeat for Bangladesh

Bangladesh tasted a bitter experience in their opening match of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship as they suffered a massive 9-0 defeat at the hands of defending champions North Korea at the Chonburi Stadium in Thailand Today.

North Korea, also the defending champions of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, proved too strong for Bangladesh as they scored all the goals effortlessly. The girls in red and green looked too tired on the pitch and were beaten by the pace of the North Korean girls.

The lacklustre performance also raised the question among the strong Bangladeshi media contingent  about the wisdom of the team’s nearly one-hour training session in the morning amid scorching heat.

North Korea took just five minutes to open the scoring before doubling the lead three minutes later. The defending champions went to the break with a comfortable 4-0 lead before adding five more goals in the second half.

Bangladesh will play their second match against three-time champions Japan on Thursday.