Bangladesh show spirit but fall short against Azerbaijan

Bangladesh suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat in their final match of the Infinix Tri-Nation Tournament as Azerbaijan clinched the title with a perfect record at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Peter Butler's side, who came into the match after a 1-0 loss to Malaysia, produced a much-improved performance against the higher-ranked European outfit. After conceding early, the hosts showed grit and defensive discipline before equalising through a brilliant strike from Maria Manda.

Azerbaijan took the lead in the 20th minute when Manya Esra's cross from the right was met by Jfarzade Sevinj, who headed past goalkeeper Rupna Chakma. Bangladesh responded well and created a golden chance in the 32nd minute when Ritu Porna Chakma slipped a through ball to Monika Chakma down the left flank, but her placing shot was tipped away for a corner by goalkeeper Sharifova Aytaj.

From the resulting corner two minutes later, Bangladesh found the equaliser. Sapna Rani's delivery was punched away by Aytaj, but the clearance fell to Maria, who unleashed a superb left-footed volley into the top corner to make it 1-1.

Azerbaijan nearly regained the lead in the 41st minute when Seyfaddinova Vusala broke the offside trap, only to float her effort over the bar with Rupna at her mercy.

Bangladesh made changes early in the second half, with Sultana Khatun and Umhela Marma replacing Tohura Khatun and Shamsunnahar Jr, but Azerbaijan gradually gained control as the home side began to tire. Their pressure finally paid off as Manya Esra struck a late winner to seal the title for the visitors, who finished with two wins from two matches.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, ended the campaign empty-handed, left to lament missed opportunities to claim at least a point from their final outing.