Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus congratulated the Bangladesh national women's football team for clinching the title of the SAFF championship in Nepal on Wednesday. "Great achievement of our women football team," he said in a statement. "I am proud of you. The whole nation is proud of you. Congratulations to all the players who brought us this glory," Prof Yunus said. Bangladesh clinches second consecutive SAFF Women’s Championship with 2-1 win over Nepal Bangladesh's women's football team made history Wednesday, securing their second consecutive South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship title with a 2-1 victory over host nation Nepal at Kathmandu’s Dashrath Rangasala Stadium. In a repeat of their 2022 triumph, Bangladesh once again defeated Nepal in the final, cementing their unbeaten streak in the seven-nation tournament.

The construction of a new house for goalkeeper Rupna Chakma, a vital part of Bangladesh's SAFF winning women's team, has begun in Rangamati following a promise made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Naniarchar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Fazlur Rahman inaugurated the construction of the house in the Bhuiyandam area in Ghilachhari union Thursday. Abdul Majid, an upazila engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department, said the house will be built within two months at Tk10.67 lakh. A photo of the ramshackle house of Rupna, the best goalkeeper in the just-concluded SAFF Women's Championship in Nepal, went viral after Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman went to greet Rupna and Rituparna Chakma after they had won the SAFF championship. Read: 5 SAFF champion girls receive grand reception in Khagrachari As the issue caught the attention of PM Hasina, she asked the district administration to build a new house for Rupna. "Following the approval of the drawing and the budget, the construction work of Rupna's house started. We've taken all preparations so that the house can be built quickly," said Fazlur.

Bangladesh Army has announced a reward of BDT 1 crore for the Bangladesh women's football team who recently won the 2022 SAFF Championship in Nepal. The Army made the announcement on Friday. Bangladesh women's football team became the undefeated champion in the 2022 SAFF Championship. They scored a total of 23 goals in this premier football tournament in South Asia, while they conceded only one goal. Bangladesh won the title by defeating the hosts Nepal 1-3 at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Read: Sabina wants to keep winning trophies playing entertaining football After returning home, the Bangladesh team was given a royal welcome. They were taken to the Bangladesh Football Federation from the airport in an open-deck bus. Along the way to the federation headquarters, thousands of supporters congratulated the team on their first SAFF title win. No other Bangladeshi team has been given such a reception before. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced a reward of BDT 50 lakh for them while two officials of the Bangladesh Football Federation have announced a total reward of BDT 1 crore as well. Read: SAFF women champs: Skipper Sabina given hero's welcome on return to Satkhira

A 10-man Bangladesh crashed out of the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 after playing out to 1-1 draw with Nepal in their last league match at the National Football Stadium in Male Wednesday. Nepal will play the final on October 16 at 9pm Bangladesh time against hosts Maldives or India. In Wednesday's other crucial match at 10pm, the league leader Maldives will play third-placed India, who have not yet conceded any defeat, Bangladesh time to clinch a berth in the final. Read: SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India The Maldives, who dominated the league table with six points from three matches after beating Sri Lanka 1-0, Bangladesh 2-0 and conceding 0-1 defeat against Nepal, need a draw against India to confirm their place in the final. But India will have to win the match to do so.

Despite the fact that India were the pre-tournament favorite, there was an expectation that the SAFF championship 2021 would be more competitive than recent editions. All of the teams have done well since the tournament began earlier this month. There are still four teams competing for a berth in the finals. As there is only one group in this competition, the top two teams in the points table will progress to the final match. Let's look at the group stage scenario and assess which two teams have the best chance of reaching the finals. Read:SAFF Football: Bangladesh to face Nepal in a 'do or die" match on Wednesday Scenario for Championship Match Berths in the Group Stage The finalists of the SAFF Championship 2021 will be determined by the last two group stage matches. Because the winner of the match between Bangladesh and Nepal will face the winner of the match between India and the Maldives in the championship match on October 16 (Saturday) at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives. SAFF Football Championship 2021 points table (as of October 10) Team Match Win Draw Loss GD Points Maldives 3 2 0 1 2 6 Nepal 3 2 0 1 1 6 India 3 1 2 0 2 5 Bangladesh 3 1 1 1 -1 4 Sri Lanka 4 0 1 3 -3 1 Read: SAFF Championship: Bangladesh lose 0-2 to Maldives Bangladesh vs. Nepal: (5 pm, Bangladesh Standard Time) Head-to-head: Bangladesh Win: 13 | Draw: 2 | Nepal: 7 Bangladesh Bangladesh have a simple equation in their quest for a final berth. Bangladesh will go to the final if they defeat Nepal.  Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka in their first match of the tournament. They surprised India by drawing the match with ten men on the field. However, Oscar Bruzon's team did not put up their best effort against the Maldives, losing 2-0. They have the lowest goal differential (-1) among the top four teams. Therefore, Bangladesh will not advance to the final if they draw their match against Nepal. So, this is a make-or-break situation for the tigers. Read CONMEBOL World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Lionel Messi Sets New South American Record Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 4-3-3) Anisur Rahman Zico (GK), Yasin Arafat, Tariq Kazi, Topu Barman, Md Saad Uddin, Jamal Bhuyan, Mohammad Ibrahim, Sohel Rana, Biplu Ahmed, Rahmat Mia, Motin Mia Nepal Nepal kicked up their SAFF Championship 2021 campaign with two impressive wins over the Maldives and Sri Lanka. They also performed well against India but were defeated 1-0. Nepal are currently in second place in the points standings after collecting six points in three games. Nepal will proceed to the final if they win against Bangladesh. However, Nepal may still qualify for the final if they draw this match and India lose to the Maldives. Read: SAFF Champs: Bangladesh to play hosts Maldives Thursday night Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 5-4-1) Dangi (GK), Lama, Uparkoti, T.Tamang, S. Shrestha, G. Shrestha, Rajbanshi, A. Tamang, Chand, Aryal, Chemzong India vs. Maldives (10 pm, Bangladesh Standard Time) Head-to-head: India Win: 14 | Draw: 2 | Maldives: 4 India India got off to a shaky start in the tournament. They drew with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their first two games, losing vital four points. They fought back strongly against Nepal and won the game 1-0. India are still in contention for a top-two finish in the points standings. They must win their encounter against the Maldives to qualify for the championship match. India will be eliminated from the competition if they lose points.  Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 4-2-2) Singh Sandhu (GK), Desai, Bose, Bheke, Kotal, Femandes, Ralte, Wangjam, Yasir, Singh, Sunil Chhetri   Read: SAFF Championship 2021: How Bangladesh can qualify for the Final Maldives The Maldives had a shaky start to the tournament. They were defeated 1-0 by Nepal in their first match. However, they bounced back against Bangladesh, winning 2-0, and then beating Sri Lanka by a solitary goal. The Maldives are in first place in the points table with 6 points. If the host draws their match against India, they will progress to the final. So, the Maldives are in a stronger position than the other three teams in the final race.  Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 4-2-3-1) Faisal (GK), Yoosuf, Samooh, Ghanee, Hassan, Nihaan, Ali, Mahudhee, Fasir, Mohamed, Ashfaq Verdict The top two teams in the points standings are the Maldives and Nepal as of October 10. These two teams appear to be competitive, and they have exhibited a desire to win the tournament. Though India remain the best side on paper to win the tournament. They made a fantastic comeback against Nepal in their last group stage encounter. On the other hand, Bangladesh had a promising start to the competition but struggled against the host Maldives. Bangladesh must come out on top against Nepal with a winning formula to proceed to the SAFF Championship 2021 final.      Read UEFA Nations League 2021: France Beat Spain in the Final to Become Champion  

Bangladesh national football team tasted their first defeat in the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 as hosts the Maldives beat them 2-0 Thursday. After a scoreless first half at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives capital Male, striker Hamza Mohamed put the hosts ahead in the 55th minute with a bicycle-kick off a header (1-0). Ali Ashfaq, named man of the match, added another in the 74th minute from a penalty (2-0). Read: SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India The Maldives won the spot-kick as Bangladesh's Sohel Rana made a rash tackle inside the danger zone. The archipelagic state wrapped up the win they deserved after dominating the match against the men in red and green. Five Bangladeshi booters – Md Ibrahim, Yeasin Arafat, Jewel Rana, Tariq Kazi and Jamal Bhuiyan – were cautioned with yellow cards. However, goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico pulled up some brilliant saves. Bangladesh last beat the Maldives in SAFF Championship in Dhaka in 2003. Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener Despite Thursday's defeat, the men in red and green remained in second place of the standings with four points from three matches after beating Sri Lanka 1-0 and playing out to a 1-1 draw with India. So far, Nepal have dominated the competition with an unbeaten run, securing six points from two matches. Bangladesh will face the Himalayan nation on October 13 at 5pm at the same venue.

Bangladesh national football team will play upper ranked and hosts Maldives in their 3nd match of the five-nation SAFF Championship’2021 at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives capital Male on Thursday night. T-Sports will telecast live from the big bowl at 10 pm (Bangladesh Time). In Thursday’s other match, former champions India will take on all losers Sri Lanka at 5 pm (BST) at the same venue. Bangladesh remained unbeaten in ongoing meet securing four points from two matches after beating Sri Lanka 1-0 featuring a goal from defender Topu Banman in the first match and a 10-men Bangladesh, coming from behind, snatched an important point from their giant neighbor India in 1-1 draw, also featuring a goal from another defender Yeasin Arafat. Himalayan nation Nepal dominated the meet securing full six points from two matches after beating hosts Maldives 1-0 and defeated Sri Lanka by 3-2 goal. Read: SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India Former champions India are in the 3rd slot bagging one point from their lone match against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka and Maldives are yet to open the account playing two and one match respectively. Thursday’s match will be equally important for both the teams. Bangladesh wants to brighten the final berth beating the Maldives while hosts Maldives seriously needed a win to keep their final berth alive. It will be another acid test for the newly appointed Spanish interim Head Coach of Bangladesh national football team Oscar Bruzon after proving his worth in the first two matches. In the remaining matches of the South Asian biggest soccer tournament Bangladesh will play hosts Maldives on Oct 7 at 10 pm and Nepal on Oct 13 at 5pm , both at the National Football Stadium in Male. Two top teams of the five–nation meet will play the final on October 16 at the same venue.  The present record are not in favor of Bangladesh as they suffered three successive defeats against the Maldives in the last 18 years, featuring a 0-5 goal losses in the FIFA International friendly in Male in 2016. Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener Bangladesh beat the Maldives last in 2003 to win SAF Championship in Dhaka, beating the Maldives 1-0 in group stage and overcame them by 5-3 goals in tie-breaker in the final. But in the initial stages, Bangladesh started campaign brilliantly beating the Maldives by 5-0 goal in the Kathmandu SAF Games in 1984 and crushed them again Maldives by 8-0 goal in the Dhaka SAF Games in 1985.. Ahead of the Thursday’s match, Bangladesh team made their practices at the Henveiru Training Pitch in Male Wednesday afternoon Three key players of Bangladesh team are likely to miss the Thursday’s match against the Maldives.  Defender Bishwanath Ghosh will miss the match for receiving red card, Rakib Hossain for two yellow cards and medio Atiqur Rahman Fahad is likely to miss the for his back injury. 

The 13th edition of the SAFF football tournament kicked off on Friday, October 1, 2021. Each team will compete against the other in the group stage and the top two teams in the standings will advance to the final. Bangladesh opened their campaign with a win over Sri Lanka before drawing 1-1 with India in their following match. Team Tigers has a chance to reach the final for the first time in 16 years. Bangladesh's upcoming fixtures are crucial in terms of advancing for the title match. Let's look at how Bangladesh may reach the final of the SAFF Championship 2021. Bangladesh's record in SAFF football tournament Bangladesh had a strong national team set up in the early 2000s. They reached three consecutive finals in 1999, 2003, and 2005 and won the SAFF Championship in the fifth edition of the tournament in Bangladesh. They won the 2003 edition by defeating the Maldives in a penalty shootout (5-3) in the final. Bangladesh last appeared in a SAFF Championship final in 2005, when the event was held in Pakistan for the sixth time. They were defeated 2-0 by India in the championship match. Bangladesh haven't been in a final since then, and they haven't even qualified for the semifinals in the previous four editions of the tournament. Read SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India Despite spending more money on football development, Bangladesh's football has deteriorated over the last 10 years. They are presently ranked 189th by FIFA. Bangladesh's lowest FIFA ranking was 197 in February-May 2018.  Bangladesh's potential of reaching SAFF Football final After a hard-fought victory over a 10-man Sri Lankan team on Friday (October 1), the Bangladesh team showcased their real potential under newly appointed coach Oscar Bruzon against India on Monday at the National Football Stadium in Malé, Maldives.    Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri scored in the 26th minute to give India a 1-0 lead. After finding the ball in the D-Box area, Chhetri blasted the ball into the top right corner of the goal post. Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener Bangladesh's players showed no signs of stress after conceding the goal. They tried to carry out the plan with proper discipline on the pitch, despite going down to ten men after defender Bishwanath Ghosh was sent off in the 54th minute. Bangladesh continued to counter-attack and equalized in the 74th minute, thanks to a superb header by Yeasin Arafat. The Bangladesh team looked really confident for the first time in a long time, and head coach Oscar Bruzon deserves special credit. The team's performance against India in the match has instilled a lot of confidence in Bangladesh's bid for a spot in the final.    Bangladesh currently have four points after two games, putting them in second place in the points table, just behind Nepal. The Nepalese national team has a perfect record so far, winning both of its first two games. On the other hand, India have one point.  Sri Lanka and the Maldives are yet to open their account in the points table.    Read South America World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Argentina, Brazil to face Uruguay in October Bangladesh have two games left in the group stage. They will face the host Maldives on Thursday (October 7) followed by Nepal on Wednesday (October 13). Bangladesh will qualify for the final If they win at least one match and draw the other. If they do, the Bangladesh team will have 8 points in the standings. In that case, both Nepal and the Maldives must lose their games against Bangladesh. Nepal would also need to drop points against India.   If Bangladesh win its remaining matches, they won't have to rely on the outcomes of other fixtures. Bangladesh will then have 10 points, allowing them to either second or first in the points table. Read Ballon d'Or 2021: Five favorites to win the coveted award Verdict Nepal and Bangladesh are the top two teams in the points standings as of October 4. These two sides appear to be well-balanced, and they have shown a desire to succeed in the competition. However, India remain the best team on paper, and they will surely come back strong in their next three matches. If India advance to the final, Nepal will be Bangladesh's toughest opponent for a place in the championship match. In such a scenario, Bangladesh's game against Nepal on October 13 will be a do-or-die contest for both sides. The last few group stage fixtures of the SAFF Championship 2021 will be enthralling to watch.  

Bangladesh national football team will face giant neighbor and upper ranked India in their 2nd match of the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 on Monday (Oct 4) at 5 pm Bangladesh Time  at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives capital Male. T-Sports will telecast the match live from the big bowl at 5:pm (BST). Earlier on Friday, Bangladesh team made a good start in the regional soccer meet beating Island nation Sri Lanka by 1-0. Veteran defender Tapu Barman scored the match-winner for Bangladesh in the 56th minute and was adjudged man of the match. It will be another acid test for the newly appointed Spanish interim Head Coach of Bangladesh national football team Oscar Bruzon after proving his worth in his very first assignment (against Sri Lanka). Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener In the remaining matches of the South Asian biggest soccer tournament Bangladesh will play hosts Maldives on Oct 7 at 10 pm and Nepal on Oct 13 at 5:pm , both at the National Football Stadium in Male. Two top teams of the five–nation meet will play the final on October 16 at the small venue.   Bangladesh team made their practices at the Henveiru Training Pitch in Male on Sunday from 5:30 to 7 pm (Bangladesh Time) where defender Rezaul Karim did not take part due to sickness. Ahead of the Monday’s vital match, Bangladesh Medio Sohel Rana, who missed the team’s first match due to fever and joined the team’s practice session on Sunday said, “Our players are morally boost-up now after winning the first match (against Sri Lanka), but we have to utilize few chances that came our way against India”. Earlier, the recently relieved head coach Jamie Day's Bangladesh team completed their Three-nation Cup and friendly match in Kyrgyzstan, a preparatory tour for SAFF Championships, with a frustrating note losing all the three matches, Visiting Bangladesh conceded 0-2 goals defeat against Palestine in their first match of the Three Nations Cup, suffered 1-4 goals defeat against hosts Kyrgyzstan, the unbeaten champions of the three nations cup and finally conceded 2-3 goals defeat against Kyrgyzstan U-23 team, all at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek.

Bangladesh got the start they hoped for in the 5-nation SAFF Championship with a comfortable win against Sri Lanka in Male on Friday, although new head coach Oscar Bruzon will be concerned at the failure to convert their much greater possession and chances in open play into goals. Ultimately they had to rely on a second half penalty for a 1-0 victory, after Lankan defender Duckson Puslas handled inside the box. It was Duckson's second yellow card offense, meaning the Lankans were also down to 10 men. Defender Topu Barman stepped up to coolly convert from the spot in the 55th minute. Sri Lanka never really looked like troubling the Bangladeshi goalkeeper, and Bruzon's men had the 3 points they craved to start the tournament. The Spaniard, who came to the job with extensive knowledge of Bangladeshi football after three successful years managing BPL champions Bashundhara Kings, made good on his promise of a more modern and attractive style of play in his team's very first outing under him. Read: SAFF Championship: Bangladesh kick off against Sri Lanka in opener Friday Bangladesh bossed possession (58% to 42%) throughout the match and created waves of chances, with 20 shots on goal against 9 for Sri Lanka, none of which were on target. Bangladesh had 4 shots on target. The failure to convert more of those chances into direct threats for the Lankan goalkeeper will be an area Bruzon will surely work to improve. Although dominant in midfield, some of the play in the final third left a lot to be desired.