Bangladesh made a thunderous start to the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship 2026, thrashing Bhutan 12–0 in the opening match at the Pokhara Stadium on Saturday.

From kickoff to the final whistle, Bangladesh dominated proceedings, pressing relentlessly and keeping Bhutan pinned deep in their own half. Bhutan struggled to move out of defence as Bangladesh created chance after chance with superior ball control, passing combinations and effective use of the wings.

The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Mamoni Chakma opened the scoring. Bangladesh intensified the pressure thereafter, with Sree Moti Trishna Rani doubling the lead in the 43rd minute. Just a minute later, Most Munki Akhter made it 3–0 before striking again in first-half injury time to give Bangladesh a commanding four-goal cushion at the break.

The pattern of play remained unchanged after the interval. Trishna Rani struck again in the 54th minute and completed her hat-trick six minutes later, dismantling the Bhutanese defence. Alpi Akter added another in the 73rd minute as the match turned completely one-sided.

The final 10 minutes resembled a goal fest. Munkhi Akhter completed her hat-trick in the 81st minute and went on to score her fourth in injury time. Arpita Biswas also found the net, before Alpi Akter completed her own hat-trick late on to take the score into double figures.

Bhutan showed no signs of a comeback as Bangladesh maintained their intensity until the end, underlining their title credentials with an emphatic opening-day performance.