Forward Sagorika continued her rich vein of form in front of goal as Bangladesh got off to a winning start in their AFC U-20 Women鈥檚 Asian Cup Qualifiers with a 3-1 win over hosts Laos in their Group H fixture at the Lao National Stadium in Vientiane on Wednesday.
Sagorika, who scored eight goals in Bangladesh鈥檚 title-winning SAFF U-20 Championship campaign recently, scored on either side of the break, while midfielder Munki Akhter added the other goal.
Anna Keo Onsy pulled one goal back for Laos. In the day鈥檚 other match of the group, South Korea crushed Timor-Leste 9-0 at the same venue.
Sagorika gave her side the lead in the 36th minute by heading home the ball from the goalmouth after a corner by midfielder Shanti Mardi.
The second goal arrived in the 59th minute when Munki, played through by Trishna, nutmegged defender Nitza Sumalu and calmly slotted the ball into the near post past Laos goalkeeper Thongsamoud Vongkhamphan.
Sagorika nearly extended the lead in the 73rd minute off a cross from Sapna Rani, only to be denied by the crossbar.
Laos pulled one back in the 86th minute through Onsy, raising hopes of a late comeback. But Sagorika sealed the victory in stoppage time with a composed left-footed finish from inside the six-yard box.
Bangladesh will face Timor-Leste in their next game on August 8 before facing the two-time champions, South Korea, on August 10.
Only the winners of the eight groups, along with the three best second-placed finishers, will advance to the final round, which will be held in Thailand in April next year.
