Dhaka- Hosts Bangladesh will take on United Arab Emirates in the opening match of Bangamata Women’s U-19 International Gold Cup Football tournament on Monday.
The match will kick-off at 6pm (BdST). Six nations are taking part in the competition which will be played at Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS).
The teams have been divided into two groups. Group A consists of Mongolia, Tajikistan and Laos while Group B comprises UAE, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh will play against Kyrgyzstan on April 26 in the remaining group B match.
The head coaches and the captains of all six participating teams took part in the pre-tournament presser on Sunday in the ball room of the Hotel Intercontinental here.
Bangladesh Head Coach Golam Rabbani Choton said that their aim is to win match by match in the tournament.
“The team have been taking preparation for the tournament since March 28. Our aim is to win match by match and to achieve our target of getting to the semi-final and final,” said the head coach.
“We made some mistakes in the SAFF Women’s Championship but we have worked enough to overcome those lapses,” he added.
Bangladesh captain Mishrat Jahan Moushumi concurred with the coach.
“We’ll do our best. We’re well- prepared to win the title, named after Bangamata,” the skipper said.
UAE coach appeared confident about her team while Kyrgyzstan coach expressed her firm optimism that her booters are ready for a tough competition.
All the touring countries thanked Bangladesh Football Federation for arranging the tournament for girls.
Two top teams from each group will play in the semifinals. Group A champions will play Group B runners-up on April 29 while Group B champions will face Group A runners-up on April 30 at the same venue.The final is scheduled for May 3.UNB
