Bangladesh end Asiad campaign with Myanmar draw

Bangladesh women football team brought their Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games campaign to an end with a goalless draw against Myanmar in their final Group F fixture at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday, with head coach Peter James Butler expressing pride in his players' performance.

Despite being ranked 52 places below Myanmar in the FIFA rankings, Bangladesh produced a disciplined defensive display to earn a point against their higher-ranked opponents.

"I was really, really proud. I was super pleased with the girls today. I thought they did extremely well," Butler said after the match.

The two teams had won one match each in their previous two meetings, and Monday's stalemate kept their head-to-head record evenly balanced.

Bangladesh had already suffered defeats to North Korea and South Korea in their opening two matches, leaving them with no chance of advancing directly to the quarter-finals. A victory over Myanmar could have kept their slim hopes of reaching the last eight as one of the best third-placed teams alive, but the draw brought their campaign to an end.

Bangladesh enjoyed 48% possession but struggled to threaten the Myanmar goal, managing only three attempts, none of which were on target.

Myanmar, meanwhile, registered eight shots, including two on target. Bangladesh goalkeeper Rupna Chakma made two important saves to deny their opponents and help her side secure a clean sheet.

Butler was particularly pleased with his team's organisation and defensive discipline, highlighting the contributions of several young players.

"We looked a more comfortable group out at that level. I thought we played some really good football at times, and we looked organised. Defensively we looked solid and sound," he said.

The coach praised 16-year-old Airin, who returned to the team, while also singling out Momita and Afeida for their performances.

"I thought Momita was outstanding, Afeida did really, really well," he added.

Keeping Myanmar at bay was a significant positive for Bangladesh, whose defence had endured difficult outings in their previous matches. They began the tournament with a 10-0 defeat to North Korea before suffering a 6-0 loss to South Korea.

Butler acknowledged the challenge posed by the two Asian powerhouses, while stressing that Bangladesh were still developing as a team.

"A tough learning experience against two really, really tough teams, very good teams. And I reiterate, we are not at that level," he said.

However, he believed Bangladesh could compete with teams such as Myanmar and said both coaches considered the draw a fair reflection of the contest.

"But we can beat the Myanmars, and Colin will turn around and say the same, that we both felt that probably a draw was a fair reflection of the game," Butler said.

The English coach also pointed to Bangladesh's youth and lower FIFA ranking as important factors when assessing their campaign.

"We're the youngest team, we're the lowest-ranked team, and we've played two really, really outstanding football teams," he said.

Butler said he had asked his players to deliver a positive performance regardless of the result, and was pleased that they had responded.

"I'm just really pleased with the girls, that we finished on a positive note. I asked for a positive performance irrespective of the outcome of the result, and they gave us that," he added.

This was Bangladesh's second appearance at the Asian Games. At the 2022 edition, they also recorded one draw and two defeats, conceding 15 goals across their three matches — one fewer than their tally at this year's tournament.