In their second consecutive victory in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, Bangladesh defeated Timor-Leste in a commanding performance.

On Friday (August 8), in a Group H match, Bangladesh triumphed over Timor-Leste with an 8-0 scoreline.

Trishna Rani Sarkar led the team to this massive win with a hat-trick. Additional goals were scored by Shikha Sinha, Shanti Mardi, Nobiron Khatun, Sagarika, and Munki Akter, with each contributing one goal.

Earlier, the team, coached by Peter Butler, began their campaign by defeating hosts Laos 3-1. Their third and final match will be against a formidable South Korea on Sunday.

A total of 33 teams are competing in eight groups in the qualifiers. Each group champion, along with the top three runners-up, will qualify for the main tournament in Thailand next year. If hosts Thailand finish as a group champion or one of the top three runners-up, the fourth-best runner-up will also advance.

Bangladesh aims to secure at least one of the top runner-up spots to qualify for the main tournament. Winning their first two matches was crucial, and maintaining a high goal difference was equally important. The team successfully achieved this goal against Timor-Leste.

A victory in the final match against South Korea would ensure qualification as group champions. However, Bangladesh considers South Korea the group favorite. It remains to be seen how the team performs against this strong opponent.

Recently, Bangladesh’s senior women’s team qualified for the Asian Cup for the first time. If the U-20 team also secures a spot, it would mark a historic and unforgettable achievement for Bangladesh football.