Dhaka, September 10: Bangladesh will face Asian powerhouse and defending champions North Korea in their first match of the final round of the AFC U-17 Women’s Championship at Chonburi, Thailand on Monday.

It will be a special occasion Krishna and Co when they take the field in red and green to mark their presence among the best teams of Asia.

Bangladesh has been pitted in group A with Australia, Japan and North Korea. Playing against the Asian powerhouses, Bangladesh has more to earn than lose.

In the official presser at the venue on Sunday, Bangladesh coach Golam Rabbani Choton expressed the excitement among the team.

“After working hard for a year, finally the moment has arrived. Feels like we are playing in the World Cup. All the players are excited to get out on the field.”

“We are determined for a good match. Instead of focusing on the opponent’s game plan, we are focusing on ours. This team has been playing together from the qualifiers. I belief that we will not let Korea walk away easily” said Choton.

When asked about specific targets, Choton remained mum regarding specific targets and said the focus is on playing good football instead of focusing on results. “We want to prove our worth, we want to play good football, regardless who our opponents are,” he said.

Skipper Krishna Rani Sarker echoed the coach’s words. “We are prepared for the challenge. We seek the blessings from the people of Bangladesh.”

She hoped that the team would be able to match the prowess of North Korea.

“We are confident of a good show for the sake of our country” said Krishna.

Midfielder Mousumi compared the experience of playing against South Korea earlier. “We faced South Korea earlier.

In that match, even though the result was not in our favour, we played positive football. The quality of the North Koreans are not that distant from than the South Koreans.”

“We are not intimidated, we believe in ourselves and we have worked hard for one year to be here” said Moushumi.

North Korea coach Song Sung Gwon said he knew very little about Bangladesh.

“We know nothing about Bangladesh. However, they are definitely an excellent team as they have reached the final rounds. We must be cautious about them,” was Song’s reply about Bangladesh.