Sapna urges to ‘leave defeat behind’ ahead of Uzbekistan clash

Bangladesh women’s national team midfielder Sapna Rani has called on her teammates to quickly move on from their heavy defeat to DPR Korea and focus on a decisive and final encounter against Uzbekistan in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Speaking after the match, Sapna said the Bengal Tigresses were determined to analyse their mistakes and regroup before the crucial clash on 9 March in Perth.

“We will leave today’s match behind and focus on analysing our performance,” Sapna told T Sports on Friday. “We will review the video and see how we can improve before the match against Uzbekistan.”

Bangladesh found the North Korean side overwhelmingly strong, with Sapna acknowledging the clear gap in quality during the contest.

“They are a very strong side. During the match, we could see their overtaking, running, and passing; everything was excellent,” she said while praising the opposition, a nation that has won multiple titles at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in recent years.

The women’s side had shown greater resistance in their opening match against China PR, where they lost 2–0, but the second game highlighted the physical and tactical challenge of competing with Asia’s elite sides.

Sapna also pointed to the harsh weather conditions, as the match was played at noon under intense heat.

“It was very hot because the sun was directly on our skin, and that made things difficult for everyone,” she said.

Fatigue from the previous match also took its toll, with the midfielder admitting Bangladesh struggled to keep up with the relentless tempo of the North Korean players.

Looking ahead, Sapna stressed the importance of improving work rate and defensive discipline in the must-win meeting with Uzbekistan.

“We need to run more and be stronger in man-to-man marking,” she said. “Those are areas where we must improve.”

The Bangladesh squad will now travel to Perth to regroup and prepare for the decisive fixture.

Despite the setback, the midfielder insisted the team remained confident of bouncing back.

“As players, we have to accept every situation,” Sapna concluded. “We will prepare well and try to give our best against Uzbekistan.”