A Promising Display from the Dragon Girls in the FIFA International Women’s Friendly Against Bangladesh
In the FIFA International Women’s Friendly against the Tigresses, the Dragon Girls showcased their potential despite losing both matches with scorelines of 1-5 and 2-4 at Changlimithang Stadium on July 23rd and 27th. Both teams used the friendlies as preparation for the SAFF Women’s Championship in Nepal this October, and the intensity of the games captivated spectators.
Despite numerous changes in the squad, the Dragon Girls took the lead in both matches. In the first match, Pema Choden Tshering scored an early goal after a mistake by a Bangladeshi defender, marking the first time Bhutan scored against Bangladesh. However, after leading 1-0 at halftime, the Dragon Girls conceded five goals in the second half, resulting in a 1-5 loss.
In the second match on July 27th, Bhutan again took an early lead through Deki Lhazom, who doubled the advantage by the 21st minute. Despite this strong start, Bangladesh equalized with two goals before halftime. In the second half, Bangladesh scored twice more to secure a 4-2 victory.
Despite the losses, Bhutan’s head coach Nicola Damaine emphasized the positives. “It’s much more than just the result. We were leading again, which was a positive, and we were able to play the football the way we wanted to play. I think it was a completely different game, which is what we aimed for in this two-match series. Winning would have been great, but we’re much more prepared for SAFF now.
We had three girls earn their international senior caps. One had never played for the senior national team before, and they all did well. We managed to get a lot of people on the field; only two or three didn’t get on. That’s what we wanted: to get experience with the players and coach.
So did you get a plan to work against Bangladesh in this match because you were leading with two goals at home? Yes, the game plan worked for some time, but obviously, we didn’t win the game. The plan was to do the right things to win. We weren’t able to convert some of our chances, but the girls worked as hard as they could, and I can’t ask for anything more from my players.”
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