Bangladesh thrash Sri Lanka 9-1 in SAFF U-20 opener

Bangladesh kicked off their SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship campaign in spectacular fashion, thrashing Sri Lanka 9-1 in their opening match at Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka.

The victory was highlighted by a stunning hat-trick from forward Mosammat Sagarika, as the hosts overwhelmed their opponents with pace, precision and relentless attacking football.

Head coach Peter Butler named eight players from recent AFC qualifiers in his starting eleven, setting a strong tone from the outset.

The home side wasted no time asserting dominance; midfielder Swapna Rani opened the scoring in just the second minute with a precise free-kick.

Moments later, Munki Akter doubled the lead in the 5th minute and from there, Bangladesh’s attacking onslaught proved too much for the Sri Lankan defense.

Despite missing two golden chances in the 15th and 19th minutes, Sagarika finally got on the scoresheet in the 37th minute, delicately tapping in a cross from Sinha Jahan.

Bangladesh had two more goals in the first half, but both were ruled offside.

The second half saw Bangladesh unleash a goal fest. Munki scored her second in the 48th minute, followed by goals from Shikha in the 50th and two quick strikes from Sagarika in the 53rd and 58th minutes to complete her hat-trick.

Two more goals late in the game sealed the dominant performance, while Sri Lanka managed to pull one back as a consolation.

With this emphatic win, Bangladesh has firmly positioned itself as a title contender in the restructured four-team tournament, which now follows a double round-robin format after India’s withdrawal.

Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka will each play against the others twice and the team with the most points will be crowned champion.

Bangladesh has a strong legacy in the competition, having won four of the previous five editions, including a shared title with India in 2024.

Their next match is against Nepal on July 13, followed by two matches against Bhutan on July 15 and 17.

The girls in red and green will face Sri Lanka again on July 19 and wrap up the tournament with a final game against Nepal on July 21.