Afeida regrets second goal but optimistic for North Korea challenge

Bangladesh women’s football team captain Afeida Khandaker apologised for her role in China’s second goal on Tuesday but insisted the Bengal Tigresses can challenge North Korea after their 2–0 defeat at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium.

Speaking to T Sports following their debut AFC Women’s Asian Cup clash, the skipper admitted the moment still lingers.

“The regret is there a bit. The second goal happened right by me, so I'm very sorry that I couldn't stop it. If I could have stopped it, it would have been better,” she stated.

Despite the setback against the defending champions, the defender drew confidence from Bangladesh’s resilience.

“Definitely. We were worried about one thing, that China are the defending champions and we would be playing them,” Afeida added.

“Since we were able to fight with them, we will surely be able to do it with North Korea too, InshaAllah.”