Bangladesh’s team captain, Arpita Biswas, acknowledged that her team lost control after conceding a penalty, resulting in a 3-2 loss to Thailand in the AFC Women’s U-20 Asian Cup opener. Arpita commented on their strong first-half performance before highlighting the turning point in the match.
Despite initially leading 2-0 following Mosammat Sagorika’s two goals, Bangladesh’s game took a drastic turn due to some ill-timed tackles in the penalty area. This allowed Thailand to make a quick comeback within a 10-minute period starting in the 68th minute.
“After the first penalty, our players struggled mentally, and then the second penalty followed,” Arpita stated, reflecting on the team’s mental breakdown during the crucial moments of the match. She emphasized that this defeat serves as a valuable learning experience for a team participating in their inaugural competition.
“We view this as a learning opportunity, and we are gaining insights from this experience,” she expressed. “Given that this was our debut match, we will focus on rectifying our errors and strive to perform better in the upcoming games.”
