Yangon, July 2 (V7N) — Bangladesh women’s football team have taken a giant stride towards history by defeating hosts Myanmar 2-1 in their second match of the Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers at the Thuana Stadium in Yangon on Wednesday.

Rituparna Chakma was the hero of the night, netting twice to secure a memorable victory for the red-green brigade.

Myanmar, ranked 55th in the world and playing at home, came out with intent and nearly scored in the opening minute. But Bangladesh weathered the early storm and hit back with purpose.

In the 19th minute, Rituparna opened the scoring. Her free kick from outside the box struck the Myanmar defensive wall, but she latched onto the rebound and fired a powerful left-footed shot past the goalkeeper.

The second goal came in the 72nd minute, as Rituparna doubled the lead with another clinical finish, putting Bangladesh firmly in control. Myanmar managed to pull one back in stoppage time, but it was too late to deny Bangladesh their landmark victory.

With this win, Bangladesh are on the brink of qualifying for the Women’s Asian Cup final stage for the first time in their history. A win or draw against Turkmenistan in their final group match would seal their passage.

Bangladesh had earlier started their campaign in style, crushing Bahrain 7-0.

This victory is all the more remarkable given the gulf in rankings—Bangladesh are currently ranked 128th, while Myanmar are 55th. The red-green team had suffered a 5-0 defeat to Myanmar in the 2018 Olympic qualifiers, underlining the significance of this turnaround.

END/RH/AJ