Bangladesh national women' s football team suffered a 1-3 goals defeat against hosts United Arab Emirates Women's National team in the first match of the two-match FIFA International Friendlies Series at Pitch 1 of the UAE Football Association complex in Dubai Wednesday night.
This was the first match between the two national sides, although Bangladesh beat UAE women's teams several times in different age group competitions.
In Wednesday's first match, forward Elizabeth put the hosts UAE team ahead in the 18th minute (1-0) while another forward Gorgia doubled the margin in the 28th minute (2-0)
Bangladesh defender and newly appointed captain Afeida Khandakar reduced the margin in the 34th minute from a penalty (2-1) to go for first half break.
In the 2nd half, Gorgia further sounded the UAE margin in the 74th minute scoring her 2nd goal.
Earlier, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) announced a 23-member national women’s football team excluding captain Sabina Khatun-led rebelling 18-senior national footballers just few hours after the SAFF-winning Bangladesh women's football team received Ekushey Padak from Chief Adviser.
Only eight players of the last SAFF winning 30-member Bangladesh women's team were included in the squad.
They are: Afeida Khandakar, Kohati Kishu, Munki Akter, Shaheda Akter Ripa, Iirin Khatun, Yearzan Begum, Sapna Rani and Mili Akter.
Despite Wednesday's result, the Bangladesh team gained valuable experience and is now fully focused on making a strong comeback in the next and last match on March 2, said a BFF media release Thursday afternoon
To aid recovery and ensure peak performance, the team held a recovery session this (Thursday) morning from 10 am to 11 am at their training session.
The session focused on light exercises, stretching, and rehabilitation. The rest of the day has been dedicated to complete recovery as the squad prepares for their upcoming challenge.
After the day's lunch, Fahad Karim, Vice Presidents of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), visited the team at their hotel.
He met with the players and coaching staff, offering words of encouragement and motivation as they gear up for the next match. His visit lifted the team’s spirits and reinforced their determination to perform better in the upcoming fixture.
The second and last match of the series is set for March 2 at 8:00 pm UAE time (10 pm Bangladesh time).
The team remains determined to put in a stronger performance and is working hard to improve ahead of the next match.
