Dhaka, April 24: Bangladesh U16 girls showed distinct improvement on their third match against the physically superior Chinese Football Association U14 team holding them to a goalless draw.
The Bengal girls were competitive with a brilliant performance from central defender Akhi. Goalkeeper Mahmuda upped her performance for the entire match and did not concede a single goal.
With both teams evenly poised, the U16 girls played a solid defence. Striker Shopna had two decent chances but one of them was blocked by two defenders. The other was a weak shot to the goalkeeper’s right who made no mistake on the easy save.
Defender Akhi made a strong run down the right side in the 33rd minute to land an accurate pass at Shopna’s feet. Shopna turned swiftly to beat her marker only to see her shot blocked by some desperate defending from the tall and aggressive Chinese central defensive pair.
Then in the 70th minute, a quick back and forth between Shopna, Krishna and the two Chinese defenders saw the ball end up at Shopna's feet. Her shot was low and to the goalie’s right, who saved it comfortably.
Mahmuda remained solid and reliable throughout the entire game, communicating effectively with her defenders but did not hesitate to take the initiative when needed. She came out of the d-box in the 48th minute and cleared a dangerous Chinese attack with her feet.
China U14s had 12 shots (on and off target) to Bangladesh U16’s 10 shots. Both the teams got two corners each.
Although there were no goals, the match was an exciting one.
The U16 girls are scheduled to play Shaanxi Regional Team tomorrow again.
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