The SAFF men’s and women’s futsal tournaments are currently taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, with Bangladesh enjoying a strong showing against arch-rivals India. After a thrilling 4-4 draw in the men’s match on Wednesday, the Bangladesh women’s team delivered a commanding performance on Thursday, defeating India 3-1.
Sabina Leads from the Front
Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun played a decisive role in the victory, setting the tone early with her leadership and intensity. Bangladesh raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half, with Krishna Rani Sarkar finding the net twice. Sabina was instrumental not only in attack but also in defensive transitions, a crucial requirement in futsal.
A commentator during the match highlighted her influence, saying,
“𝑺𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒂’𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆.”
India attempted to stage a comeback after the break, but goalkeeper Jhilik made several important saves to preserve Bangladesh’s advantage.
Strong Finish and Renewed Rivalry
Bangladesh extended their lead through Sumaiya Matsushima, who scored on a swift counterattack to make it 3-0. India managed a consolation goal shortly afterward, but the result was never in doubt. The win marked Bangladesh women’s return to international futsal after seven years, having last appeared in the Asian Futsal qualifiers in Thailand in 2018.
Several key players, including Sabina, Krishna, Masura, and Sumaiya, were not selected for the national football squad by coach Peter Butler, leading them to compete in futsal instead. Their experience proved vital, especially with Sabina and Sumaiya having previously played in overseas futsal leagues.
Reflecting on the match, one team official noted,
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚.”
The Bangladesh–India rivalry once again delivered excitement, but both matches in Bangkok were played in a competitive yet respectful spirit, highlighting the growing stature of futsal in South Asian football.
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