U-20s bow out with three straight defeats

Bangladesh ended their maiden AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup campaign with three consecutive defeats, following a 1-0 loss to Vietnam in their final group match at Nonthaburi Stadium in Thailand on Tuesday.

Despite the disappointing finish, Bangladesh came close to pushing for a quarterfinal berth in their debut appearance, needing a win -- or potentially even a draw, depending on other results -- to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.

The decisive moment came early in the second half when goalkeeper Mile Akter misjudged a long free-kick, allowing Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh to tap in the winner in the 49th minute.

Bangladesh, who had shown promise against continental heavyweights like China, Vietnam and Thailand, were left to rue missed opportunities and costly errors. They had earlier squandered a two-goal lead in a 3-2 defeat to Thailand before losing 2-0 to China.

Coach Peter Butler opted for a compact approach, relying on counter-attacks led by forward Mosammat Sagorika, who had an early chance but failed to beat the advancing Vietnamese goalkeeper.

Vietnam continued to apply pressure, though Bangladesh’s defence held firm for much of the first half. After the break, Butler introduced fresh legs in midfield, but the goalkeeping error proved decisive.

Bangladesh showed improved urgency in the second half, with Umehla Marma coming close to equalising, but they ultimately lacked the cutting edge to break down Vietnam’s defence.