Bangladesh, who had already qualified for the Asian Cup finals for the first time, finished their qualifying campaign on a high note with a crushing 7-0 win over Turkmenistan in their final Group C match of the AFC Asian Women鈥檚 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on Saturday.
Bangladesh鈥檚 all seven goals came in the first half as Peter Butler鈥檚 team toyed with the lowest-ranked side of this group in the dead rubber by scoring six goals within a span of 17 minutes.聽
Ritu Porna Chakma and forward Shamsunnahar (Jr) scored a brace for the group winners, while midfielder Monika Chakma, forward Tohura Khatun and midfielder Sapna Rani added the other two goals.
Sapna gave Bangladesh the lead in the third minute as her powerful drive from outside the box entered the back of the net after a back pass from Tohura.
Shamsunnahar (Jr) made the margin 3-0, scoring in the seventh and 13th minutes before Monkia added one in the 16th minute.
Ritu scored her first goal in the 18th minute, followed by Tohura adding her name to the scoresheet just two minutes later. Ritu then netted her second goal in the 41st minute.
Ritu concluded her campaign with five goals across three matches, which included a brace in Bangladesh鈥檚 2-1 victory over the host nation, Myanmar. The 21-year-old midfielder netted her other goal during her team鈥檚 7-0 triumph over Bahrain in their opening match.
Bangladesh finished their campaign with nine points from three wins, followed by Myanmar with six points from the same number of outings following their 6-0 win over Bahrain in the day鈥檚 other match.聽
The 128th FIFA-ranked Bangladesh鈥檚 win over Myanmar (55th) on Wednesday, followed by a 2-2 draw between Bahrain (92nd) and Turkmenistan (141st), ensured Bangladesh鈥檚 Asian Cup berth as the top-place finishers of this group.
Bangladesh joined the ranks of defending champions China, as well as South Korea, Japan and hosts Australia in the 12-team Asian Cup, from where all the quarter-finalists will get entries to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, while the top six teams will earn their places in the 2027 FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup in Brazil.
