Dominant Start for Bangladesh in SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship: 7 Goals Past Sri Lanka, Sagarika Scores Hat-Trick

Bangladesh women’s team kicked off their SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship campaign in spectacular fashion, overwhelming Sri Lanka with a 7-0 thrashing in their opening match. The game, held at Dhaka’s Kings Arena on Friday, saw the home side dominate from start to finish, with Mosammat Sagarika emerging as the star of the match by scoring a brilliant hat-trick.

From the very beginning, coach Peter Butler’s side displayed a fierce attacking intent. Midfielder Swapna Rani opened the scoring in just the 2nd minute with a direct free-kick. Following her lead, Munki Akter netted twice, Shikha Akter added one, and Sagarika delivered three goals to complete her hat-trick.

Bangladesh ended the first half with a comfortable 3-0 lead. The second half was even more one-sided, as they netted four more goals in just 12 minutes — in the 48th, 50th, 53rd, and 58th minutes — further cementing their authority in the match.

This year’s tournament follows a round-robin league format, featuring four teams: Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Each team will play every other team twice, with the side finishing with the highest points crowned champions. Notably, India withdrew from the tournament at the last moment.

Bangladesh has a strong track record in age-level SAFF competitions. In 2024, they were crowned joint champions with India. Out of five previous editions, Bangladesh has claimed the title four times, marking them as one of the most successful teams in the competition's history.

Bangladesh will next face Nepal on July 13, followed by two matches against Bhutan on July 15 and 17. They will face Sri Lanka again on July 19, and wrap up their group campaign against Nepal on July 21.