Dhaka – Bangladesh U-16 Football team beat local Academy Sakai team by 2-1 goals in a friendly match in Osaka Academy Sakai in a cool and chilly afternoon in Osaka on Thursday.Sirat Jahan Shopna put Bangladesh ahead in the 24th minute while Mishrat Jahan Moushumi doubled the lead for the Red and Greens in the 35th minute. Academy Sakai pulled margin one back in the 30th minute.The 70-minute match was full of exciting but remained goalless in the second half in a cool weather of about 7 degree Celsius.Head Coach of Bangladesh team Golam Rabbani Choton said they were rather apprehensive after the Thai U-16 team lost to Sakai Academy by 10-0 goals earlier in the day (Thursday). “But it ended well. The girls put in their utmost efforts and won the match for us,” he said.He said this match was very instructive. “We learned a lot and this will add to our experience.”Bangladesh U-16 Girls team, which reached Osaka, a commercial hub and port of Japan, on Wednesday night (January 25), are scheduled to play three matches of J-Green Sakai Lady’s Festival U-15 meet on January 28 and another one the next day (Jan 29).Choton, who is traveling with the team, said before the day’s (match) that his crop of youngsters was keen to make full use of the opportunity.Although the U-16 team have raised much hope exceeding expectations, first by qualifying for the AFC final round and then powering Bangladesh women’s side to the SAFF women’s finals, the head coach was quick to throw caution.Earlier, Choton had said before leaving for Japan that he was not looking forward to a great triumph. As he put it, “This will surely be a learning experience for the girls.”A total of 20 teams, including one each from Bangladesh and Thailand, split into four groups, will play 40-minute group matches before playing against the opponents of the three other groups on the basis of group standing. UNB
