United News of Bangladesh

Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the face of this year's Copa America. But there are other players to watch when the South American soccer championship starts this month in the United States with 16 teams from the Western Hemisphere competing.  

A brilliant hattrick by  captain Hassan Maatouk guided Lebanon to crush Bangladesh by 4-0 goals in the last Group 1 match of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Football' 2026 at the FIFA World Cup venue -- Khalifa International Stadium--Ar Rayyan in Doha, Qatar Tuesday evening. With the day's embarrassing defeat, Bangladesh not only  completed their six home and away basis group matches winless, but also finished at bottom in the four- nation fray securing only one point, after playing 1-1 with Lebanon in home match in Dhaka last November. In the day's match, the war-torn Arabian nation Lebanon comfortably dominated the first half 2-0 goals with frustration of touring Bangladesh.  Captain Hassan Maatouk made a hattruck scored three goals in the 5th, 49th and 60th minutes. Maatouk put Lebanon ahead in the very 5th minute from a penalty (1-0).  Lebanon got the spot kick when Bangladesh defender Shakil Hossain fouled the opponent booter in the danger zone and Hassan Maatouk made no mistake to convert a penalty. Midfielder Nader Mattar doubled margin in the added time of the first half (45+2 minute) by a placing shot from goalmouth melee (2-0). Midfielder Hassan Maatouk scored his 2nd and 3rd goal for Lebanon in the 49th minute (3-0). He completed a hattrick in the 60th minute silencing few Bangladeshi fans at the stadium (4-0). Bangladesh, which displayed a respectable performance against six time World Cup playing Australia in their home match in Dhaka last Thursday to concede a narrow 0-2 goals defeat, failed to perform their usual show and were outplayed in every departments to suffer huge a defeat   Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan, who loud his voice and said, "Our target is to earn three points (from Lebanon),  and we believed that we will be able to get three points" and Bangladesh coach's high hope of beating Lebanon, atleast to earn one point from the match, finally went in drain. In the day's other match, Australia outplayed Palestine by 5-0 goals in their home match in Perth on Tuesday (June 11). Mighty Australia, emerged  Group 1 champions with all win record to reach the next round of the tournament securing full 18 points from six matches  The war-torn Palestine finished distant 2nd collecting eight points from six matches with two wins two draw and two defeats. Lebanon finished 3rd securing six points from six matches with one win, three draws and two defeats while Bangladesh remained at the bottom with one point from six matches after making 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their home match in Dhaka.  Earlier, Bangladesh suffered  0-7 goals defeat against World Cup playing Australia in their away match, drew 1-1 with Arabian nation Lebanon in the home match, suffered 0-5 defeat against Palestine in their away match in Kuwait and conceded a shocking 0-1 goal defeat in the dying moments against Palestine in their home match in Dhaka.

Bangladesh National Football team will play war-torn Arabian nation Lebanon in their last Group I away match of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Football on Tuesday (June 11) in Qatar for a win. Bangladesh, which reached Qatar capital Doha last  Friday, will play their last Group I match on Tuesday at a neutral venue -- Khalifa International Stadium, Ar Rayyan in Doha, Qatar, that will kick-off at 7: pm local time and 10: pm Bangladesh time. The match recently shifted to FIFA World Cup venue 45,857 seating capacity Khalifa International Stadium, Ar Rayyan in Doha from previously announced venue Al Saad Club Stadium of Doha. The first leg match between hosts Bangladesh and touring Lebanon ended in a 1-1 draw in Dhaka last November.  In the last two days (Saturday and Sunday), Bangladesh team made their practices at the Qatar University TS4 East Training ground from 6 pm local time and 9: pm Bangladesh time. Bangladesh team scheduled to attend a pre- match conference Monday (June 10) evening at 6:30 pm local time and 9:30 Bangladesh time at the Khalifa International Stadium. After the press conference, Bangladesh team due to make their final practice session Monday evening  at the match venue  Khalifa International Stadium. Ahead of the Tuesday's match, Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan praised the local facilities and said, "Our target is to earn three points (from Lebanon),  we will try our best to display a good performance, and we believed that we will be able to get three points" Earlier, Assistant Coach of Bangladesh team and former national defender Hasan Al  Mamun said,  "We played a good match against stronger Australia, our  defense line also developed, it will be a very competitive match (on Tuesday) for both the sides,  our first target is to beat Lebanon, atleast we want to earn one point from the match after making a draw".  Earlier, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, under the banner of Bangladesh team played two matches at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Independence Cup Football Tournament of Qatar in 1994. Bangladesh beat Yemen by 1-0 goal after conceding 2-4 goals defeat against India in this invitational foootball tourney. In their home match in Dhaka last Thursday, hosts Bangladesh displayed a respectable performance against six time World Cup playing Australia and conceded a narrow 0-2 goals defeat after showing a fighting spirit  till the last whistle. Mighty Australia, which already emerged  Group 1 champions with one match to spare to reach the next round of the tournament securing full 15 points from five matches, and will play Palestine in their last match also on June 11 in Perth.  The war-torn Palestine are in the distant 2nd collecting eight points from five matches with two wins, two draw and one defeat. Lebanon is in the 3rd slot securing three points from five matches three draws and two defeats while Bangladesh remained at the bottom with one point from five matches after making 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their home match in Dhaka.  Earlier, Bangladesh suffered  0-7 goals defeat against World Cup playing Australia in their away match, drew 1-1 with Arabian nation Lebanon in the home match, suffered 0-5 defeat against Palestine in their away match in Kuwait and conceded a shocking 0-1 goal defeat in the dying moments against Palestine in their home match in Dhaka.    

The European Championship in Germany is all about tried and tested stadiums with a rich soccer history. Unlike at some recent World Cups, there's been no rush to finish stadiums on time. All but one of Germany's 10 venues hosted games at the 2006 World Cup and none have undergone major changes. All capacities are given in the all-seated configuration used for Euro 2024, meaning the figure is typically lower than for club games where many fans can stand. Here is a guide to the 10 stadiums and all of the games taking place at each: OLYMPIASTADION City: Berlin Capacity for Euro 2024: 71,000 Games: Spain vs. Croatia (June 15), Poland vs. Austria (June 21), Netherlands vs. Austria (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (June 29), one quarterfinal game (July 6), the final (July 14). Built for the 1936 Olympics under Nazi rule, the Olympiastadion was renovated to host the 2006 World Cup final and also held the Champions League final in 2015. At club level, it's the home of the German Cup final each season and also hosts home games for second-division Hertha Berlin. The Olympiastadion had a cameo appearance in this season's Champions League when Union Berlin trekked westward from its home in East Berlin to host games. The idea was for more fans to be able to watch, though not all of them were happy about playing at the home of their cross-town rival. MUNICH FOOTBALL ARENA City: Munich Capacity for Euro 2024: 66,000 Games: Germany vs. Scotland (June 14), Romania vs. Ukraine (June 17), Slovenia vs. Serbia (June 20), Denmark vs. Serbia (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (July 2), one semifinal game (July 9). Better known as the Allianz Arena for Bayern Munich games — stadium sponsorships are banished for the tournament — this stadium will host the opening game of Euro 2024 as Germany takes on Scotland on June 14. FIFA WC Qualifiers: Bangladesh team reach Qatar to play Lebanon It was home to the German league champion 11 years running until Bayer Leverkusen finally ended Bayern Munich's reign this season. The stadium opened in 2005 and was originally shared by Bayern and its local rival 1860 Munich, but 1860 sold its share due to financial problems, moved out and now plays in the third division. The stadium's location on the outskirts of Munich can mean long queues for trains back into town. The arena branched out when it hosted Germany's first regular-season NFL game in 2022 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16. It's due to host a Carolina Panthers game later this year. BVB STADION DORTMUND City: Dortmund Capacity for Euro 2024: 62,000 Games: Italy vs. Albania (June 15), Turkey vs. Georgia (June 18), Turkey vs. Portugal (June 21), France vs. Poland (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (June 29), one semifinal game (July 10). The fans of Borussia Dortmund — BVB for short — know it as the Westfalenstadion, the cavernous beating heart of their club for over 50 years, but it's also called Signal Iduna Park due to a long-running sponsorship deal, which doesn't apply during the European Championship. Dortmund, which lost this year's Champions League final to Real Madrid, is famed for its loud “Yellow Wall” of fans in a standing section, but the stadium is going all-seater for Euro 2024, as part of changes that bring down its capacity by nearly 20,000 from the 81,365 who can pack in for club games. Having one of Europe's biggest and loudest stadiums is a point of pride in Dortmund, an industrial city in western Germany's Ruhr region. STUTTGART ARENA City: Stuttgart Capacity for Euro 2024: 51,000 Games: Slovenia vs. Denmark (June 16), Germany vs. Hungary (June 19), Scotland vs. Hungary (June 23), Ukraine vs. Belgium (June 26), one game in the quarterfinals (July 5). The venue's historic name is the Neckarstadion after the river that flows through Stuttgart. Under that name, it hosted the 1988 European Cup final as Dutch club PSV Eindhoven beat Benfica of Portugal on penalties. FIFA WC Qualifiers: Australian Football team arrives Dhaka Since then, it's had a string of different names due to sponsorship details, most recently as the MHPArena for this season as host club Stuttgart finished second in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Champions League. VOLKSPARKSTADION City: Hamburg Capacity for Euro 2024: 49,000 Games: Poland vs. Netherlands (June 16), Croatia vs. Albania (June 19), Georgia vs. Czech Republic (June 22), Czech Republic vs. Turkey (June 26), one quarterfinal game (July 5). The stadium sits in a large park and dates back nearly a century to 1925, though it was fully rebuilt in the 1950s and then again from 1998 through 2000. Hamburger SV plays at the stadium and has been in the second division this season. Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk moved in earlier this season for three home Champions League games since it was unable to play at home because of the Russian invasion. That was the first time the Volksparkstadion had hosted European games since 2010 and a useful practice run for Euro 2024. DUESSELDORF ARENA City: Duesseldorf Capacity for Euro 2024: 47,000 Games: Austria vs. France (June 17), Slovakia vs. Ukraine (June 21), Albania vs. Spain (June 24), one game in the round of 16 (July 1), one quarterfinal game (July 6). The only Euro 2024 venue which wasn't also used when Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, this gray, boxy venue last year hosted the Invictus Games, a sports event for wounded, injured and ill service personnel and veterans which was founded by Britain's Prince Harry. The stadium was an unsuccessful candidate for the NFL's expansion into Germany and was briefly converted into a vaccination center for the local area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last club game at the stadium this season brought heartbreak for local fans as Fortuna Duesseldorf threw away a 3-0 lead and missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga. COLOGNE STADIUM City: Cologne Capacity for Euro 2024: 43,000 Games: Hungary vs. Switzerland (June 15), Scotland vs. Switzerland (June 19), Belgium vs. Romania (June 22), England vs. Slovenia (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (June 30). Historically, it's been known as Muengersdorfer Stadion after the district of Cologne where it's located. The local crowds are known for their passionate support of Cologne in league games, though this season ended with relegation from the Bundesliga. The stadium stepped in at short notice in 2020 to host the Europa League final during the COVID-19 pandemic as Spain's Sevilla beat Italian club Inter Milan 3-2 without a crowd. FRANKFURT ARENA City: Frankfurt Capacity for Euro 2024: 47,000 Games: Belgium vs. Slovakia (June 17), Denmark vs. England (June 20), Switzerland vs. Germany (June 23), Slovakia vs. Romania (June 26), one game in the round of 16 (July 1). Home to Eintracht Frankfurt, which won the Europa League in 2022, the club's fans still know this arena by its traditional name, the Waldstadion, though it's currently the Deutsche Bank Park because of a sponsorship deal. Barcelona hires Hansi Flick as coach on a 2-year contract after Xavi's exit There has been a stadium on the site since 1925 and it hosted the opening game of the 1974 World Cup as Brazil drew 0-0 with Yugoslavia. The stadium held two NFL games last year, including a win for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, as the league expands its presence in Germany. LEIPZIG STADIUM City: Leipzig Capacity for Euro 2024: 40,000 Games: Portugal vs. Czech Republic (June 18), Netherlands vs. France (June 21), Croatia vs. Italy (June 24), one game in the round of 16 (July 2). The only Euro 2024 stadium which is in the former East Germany, this venue was built for the 2006 World Cup on the site of the Zentralstadion. It had been East Germany's largest with a capacity estimated at 100,000 or more. Set up by drinks giant Red Bull, the newly formed Leipzig club took over the stadium in 2010 and renamed it the Red Bull Arena for club games. ARENA AUFSCHALKE City: Gelsenkirchen Capacity for Euro 2024: 50,000 Games: Serbia vs. England (June 16), Spain vs. Italy (June 20), Georgia vs. Portugal (June 26), one game in the round of 16 (June 30). There hasn't been much to celebrate at this stadium in recent years. It's home to Schalke, which was a Champions League team in the 2018-19 season but dropped out of the German top league altogether in 2021, only to return and then be relegated again last year. Schalke spent this season fighting possible relegation to the third division — and chronic financial woes — but eventually survived in the second tier. Human rights experts urge FIFA to scrutinize Saudi Arabia before 2034 World Cup vote The stadium was state-of-the-art when it was completed in 2001 with a retractable roof and a field which can be moved out of the stadium for concerts. It hosted the 2004 Champions League final as Jose Mourinho's Porto beat Monaco 3-0. After Euro 2024, the stadium will be one of three German venues on Taylor Swift's Eras tour.

Bangladesh National Football team reached Qatar capital Doha Friday midnight to play their last Group I match of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Football against Lebanon. Touring Bangladesh will play war-torn Arabian nation Lebanon in their last Group I away match on Tuesday (June 11)  at a neutral venue -- Al Saad Club Stadium in Doha, Qatar, which will kick-off at 7: pm local time and 10: pm Bangladesh time. The first leg match between hosts Bangladesh and touring Lebanon ended in a 1-1 draw in Dhaka, The football crazy fans of Bangladesh gave a warm reception to the Bangladesh Football team in the airport soon after the team reached Doha Friday midnight. After reaching the team hotel in Doha Saturday early hour , Bangladesh team made their recovery session at the Team Hotel gymnasium Saturday morning. All the players of Bangladesh team are now in sound health despite local hot temperature of about 45 degree celsius in the day time. Bangladesh will make their first practice session at the Qatar University TS4 East Training ground Saturday evening from 6 pm local time and 9pm Bangladesh time. Ahead of the match, the Assistant Coach of  Bangladesh team Hasan Al Mamun said, local temperature in Doha  in between 45 to 48 degree celsius in the day time, we will try to adopt with local weather in the day's session and we do hope we will be able adjust with local conditions by tomorrow (Sunday) "We played a good match against stronger Australia, our  defense line also developed, it will be a very competitive match (Tuesday) for both the sides,  our first target is to beat Lebanon, at least we want to earn one point from the match after making a draw," he added. In their home match in Dhaka last Thursday, hosts Bangladesh displayed a respectable performance against six time World Cup playing Australia and conceded a narrow 0-2 goals defeat after showing a fighting football till the last whistle. Mighty Australia, which already emerged  Group 1 champions with one match to spare to reach the next round of the meet  securing full 15 points from five matches, will play Palestine in their home match also on June 11 in Perth.  The war-torn Palestine are in the distant 2nd collecting eight points from five matches with two wins, two draws and one defeat. Lebanon is in the 3rd slot securing three points from five matches three draws and two defeats while Bangladesh remained at the bottom with one point from five matches after making 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their home match in Dhaka.  Earlier, Bangladesh suffered  0-7 goals defeat against World Cup playing Australia in their away match, drew 1-1 with Arabian nation Lebanon in the home match, suffered 0-5 defeat against Palestine in their away match in Kuwait and conceded a shocking 0-1 goal defeat in the dying moments against Palestine in their home match in Dhaka.    

Hosts Bangladesh conceded a narrow 2-0 defeat against the World Cup playing Australia in their Group I home match of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital on Thursday (June 6). This was the 4th consecutive defeat for Bangladesh against the 6-time FIFA World Cup playing Australia since their first meeting in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2015, but a somewhat respectable performance saw them concede defeat with the narrowest margin till now.   In the last four meetings,  FIFA world-ranked 24th Australia scored 18 goals against Bangladesh, without conceding any in return. Bangladesh started their Group 1 campaign of the ongoing FIFA Cup qualifiers campaign with a massive  0-7 goals defeat against Australia held in Melbourne November last year. Australia also outplayed Bangladesh twice in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2015 Australia outplayed Bangladesh by 5-0 goals in their home match in Perth on September 3,  2015 and again beat them by 4-0 goals in their away match in Dhaka on Nov 17,  2015  Australia, which eliminated from the 2nd round of the last FIFA World Cup held Qatar in 2022 losing to Argentina by 1-2 goals, today (Thursday) leading the first half against Bangladesh by 1-0 goal forcing Bangladesh to play in their territory for most of the time But in the 2nd half, Bangladesh played comparatively better with some occasional attacks. In the day's match, Australia took the lead in the 29th minute by a gifted goal as Bangladesh defender Mehedi Hasan sent the ball to his own net while trying to foil a long-distance shot of Australian midfielder Ajdin Hrustic  (1-0). Australian forward Kusini  Yengi doubled the margin in the 63rd minute by a good header from close that kissed the net off the post  (2-0). Bangladesh will play Arab nation Lebanon in their last Group I away match on June 11 at a neutral venue -- Al Saad Club Stadium in Doha, Qatar, which will kick-off at 7: pm local time and 10: pm Bangladesh time. Mighty Australia, which assured the Group I title to reach the next round of the meet securing full 15 points from five matches, will play another war-torn Palestine in their home match also on June 11 in Perth.  After the day's group match, Australia dominated group table to qualify for the next round with all-win record securing full 15 points, while war-torn Palestine are in the distant 2nd collecting seven points from four with two wins, one draw and one defeat. Lebanon is in the 3rd slot securing two points from four matches two draws and two defeats while Bangladesh remained at the bottom with one point from five matches after making 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their home match in Dhaka.  Earlier, Bangladesh suffered a 0-7 goals defeat against World Cup playing Australia in their away match, drew 1-1 with Arabian nation Lebanon in the home match, suffered 0-5 defeat against Palestine in their away match in Kuwait and conceded a shocking 0-1 goal defeat in the dying moments against Palestine in their home match in Dhaka. Australia, which arrived Dhaka last Tuesday, is scheduled to return home tonight (Thursday night).    

Hosts Bangladesh will play their giant rivals and the six times World-Cup-playing Australian in their Group I of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Dhaka on Thursday. Australia, which arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday, will lock horn with Bangladesh on Thursday at 4:45 pm local time at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital. This will be the fourth meeting between two countries since their first meeting in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2015. Australia won all three previous matches comfortably against Bangladesh. They crushed Bangladesh by 7-0 goals in their home match of the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers, held in Melbourne November last year. Australia also outplayed Bangladesh twice in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2015, by 4-0 and 5-0 goals respectively. Australians were eliminated from the second round of the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, losing to Argentina by 1-2 goals. Ahead of the Thursday's match, both Bangladesh and Australia made their practices at the match venue Bashundhara Kings Arena on Wednesday afternoon. Bangladesh will play war-torn Arabian nation Lebanon in their last Group I away-match on June 11 at a neutral venue – Al Saad Club Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The match will kick-off at 7:00 pm local time and 10:00 pm Bangladesh time. On completion of four Group I matches, Australia dominated the Group Table to qualify for the next round with all-win record, securing full 12 points. War-torn Palestine are in the distant second, collecting seven points with two wins, a draw and a defeat. Lebanon is in the third slot, securing two points with two draws and two defeats, while Bangladesh remained at the bottom with one point from four matches, after making a 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their home match in Dhaka. Earlier, Bangladesh suffered 0-7 goals defeat against the World Cup playing Australia in their away match, drew 1-1 with the Arab nation Lebanon in the home match, suffered 0-5 defeat against Palestine in their away match in Kuwait and conceded a shocking 0-1 goal defeat in the dying moment against Palestine in their home match in Dhaka.

The 6th times World Cup playing Australian Football team arrived Dhaka Tuesday noon to play their Group 1 away match of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup against hosts Bangladesh on Thursday (June 6). The match will kick  off at 4:45 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital. The Australian team, which was  eliminated from the 2nd round of the last FIFA World Cup held Qatar in 2022 losing to Argentina by 1-2 goal, reached Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:15 pm via Thailand and will return home Thursday evening soon after playing the match. Touring Aussies team will make their lone practice session on Wednesday at 5:30 pm at the match venue -- Bashundhara Kings Arena -- after taking rest today (Tuesday). However, Bangladesh will play war-torn Arabian nation Lebanon in their last Group I away match on June 11 at a neutral venue -- Al Saad Club Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The match will kick off at 7: pm local time and 10: pm Bangladesh time. Eatlier, Australia outplayed Bangladesh by 7-0 goal in their home match of the ongoing qualifying meet in Australia November last year. Earlier, Australia also played Bangladesh twice in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2015 and beat Bangladesh by 4-0 and 5-0 goal respectively. On completion of four Group I matches, Australia dominated group table to qualify for the next round with all-win record securing full 12 points, war-torn Palestine are in the distant 2nd collecting seven points with two wins one draw and one defeat. Lebanon is in the 3rd slot securing two points with two draws and two defeats while Bangladesh remained at the bottom with one point from four matches after making 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their home match in Dhaka. Earlier, Bangladesh suffered 0-7 goals defeat against World Cup playing Australia in their away match, drew 1-1 with Arabian nation Lebanon in the home match, suffered 0-5 defeat against Palestine in their away match in Kuwait and conceded a shocking 0-1 goal defeat in the dying moment against Palestine in their home match in Dhaka.

Hosts Bangladesh conceded a narrow 0-1 goal defeat against much superior Chinese Taipei in the 2nd match to lose the two-match FIFA Women's International (Tier-I) Football Series 0-2 at the floodlight Bashundhara Kings Arena here Monday evening..Bangladesh, which suffered a humiliating 0-4 goals defeat conceding three goals in the first 26 minutes of Friday's first match against Chinese Taipei, ranked 100 places above of the hosts, fought equally with their giant rivals on Monday till the last whistle. FIFA Women's Int'l: Bangladesh crushed at home by Chinese Taipei in first match Chinese Taipei participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup once and is currently ranked 40th against Bangladesh's ranking of 140th. Forward Su Yu-Hsuan scored the match winning goal for Taipei in the 17th minute of the match by a placing shot, utilising a lean (1-0) cutback. FIFA Women's Int'l: Bangladesh win two-match series crushing Singapore 8-0 This was the fourth defeat for the Bangladesh Women's Football team in their ninth international match after winning the SAFF Women's Championship title in 2022. Bangladesh lost two matches against Chinese Taipei, one match each against Japan and Vietnam, drew three matches against Nepal, and beat Singapore twice. FIFA Women's Int'l: Bangladesh win two-match series crushing Singapore 8-0 In the day's match, the British coach of the women's team, Peter James Butler, dropped four vital players, including skipper Sabina Khatun and winger Sanjida Akter, but left the field with a respectable result. However, Sabina played the last 15 minutes of the match. After a crucial first half, Bangladesh played comparatively better in the 2nd half but failed to manage clean chances accordingly.

 Hosts Bangladesh suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat against much superior Chinese Taipei in the first match of the two-match FIFA Women's International (Tier -I) Football Series at the flood light Bashundhara Kings Arena here Friday evening. Chinese Taipei, ranked 100 places above of the hosts Bangladesh, took control of the match in the early first half scoring three goals in a row within the first 26 minutes, utilizing the shakiness of Bangladesh defenders. After conceding three goals in the first half, Bangladeshi girls made a good comeback in the 2nd half with some planned attacks and good team combinations. Bangladesh came close to scoring twice in the 2nd half, but all of their attempts went in vain against the strong defense line of Chinese Taipei. Monica Chakma hit the crossbar in the 62nd minute while a long distance shot of substitute Sanjida Akhter narrowly went over the cross bar in the later part of the match. Chinese Taipei participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup once and currently ranked 40th against Bangladesh's ranking of 140. The second and last match of the series will be held on June 3 at the same venue. This was the 3rd defeat for Bangladesh in eight international matches since winning the SAFF Women's Championship title in 2022. The other two defeats were against Japan and Vietnam.