India Looked ‘Helpless’ as Bangladesh Won by a Big Margin

After a hard-fought draw against India in the men’s SAFF Championship on Wednesday, Bangladesh delivered a completely different story in the women’s SAFF competition today. India failed to stand up to Bangladesh, as the Tigresses began their Women’s SAFF Futsal Championship campaign with an impressive victory. Led by captain Sabina Khatun’s brace, Bangladesh defeated India 3–1 in their opening match under coach Saeed Khodarahmi.

The match was held at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in Thailand, where Bangladesh’s women dominated from the very beginning. Sabina scored twice in the first half. After more than a year, the experienced footballer returned to represent Bangladesh on the international stage through futsal. In the 8th minute, she fooled the Indian goalkeeper with a neat one-two with Krishna Rani Sarkar to open the scoring.

After taking the lead, Bangladesh’s confidence grew even stronger. Before the break, Sabina doubled the advantage once again, with the assist coming from Krishna Rani yet again. Bangladesh ended the first half with a comfortable two-goal lead.

Bangladesh continued their dominance after the interval. The scoreline became 3–0 in the second half through a goal by Matsushima Sumaiya. During a counterattack, Masura Parvin launched a long pass from defense, which Sumaiya controlled and calmly slotted through the goalkeeper’s legs. At that point, the Bengal Tigresses began dreaming of a big-margin victory.

India, however, tried desperately to make a comeback. But Bangladesh goalkeeper Swapna Akter Jhili displayed outstanding skill in the final moments, successfully denying wave after wave of Indian attacks. Still, India managed to pull one back late in the match through Ariya More.

In the end, Bangladesh’s women left the court with a brilliant 3–1 victory, marking a strong start to their campaign.