Want to play high-risk, high-reward football? Better have Rupna ‘The Eagle’ Chakma 

She stands at just a little over five feet, but when the Bangladesh No. 1 spreads her wings, the entire box feels covered.

While much of the spotlight in Bangladesh's historic AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers run has fallen on Peter Butler's high-octane system, the flurry of goals, and the back-to-back wins over higher-ranked Bahrain and Myanmar, the player keeping it all glued together has flown under the radar: Rupna Chakma.

A two-time SAFF winner and the best goalkeeper in both the 2022 and 2024 editions, Rupna has quietly become the lynchpin in Butler's tactical blueprint. The 21-year-old's metamorphosis into an exuberant sweeper-keeper has been pivotal to Bangladesh's ability to play bold, proactive football.

So far, Englishman Butler has implemented an aggressive 3-4-3 that presses high and is keen on counter-pressing to launch slick attacks. Bangladesh flood the midfield with bodies who want control of the ball, and much of that craving has been met by the three-player defence that has come to notice for playing very high up the field and close to the crowd of players in midfield.

And for a backline not blessed with extravagant pace but mostly relying on game awareness, having Rupna in between the sticks has been nothing short of having an insurance policy that will bail them out of peril.

L-R: Kohati Kisku, Rupna, and captain Afeida Khandokar sing Bangladesh anthem before their Myanmar match in Yangon on July 2, 2025. Photo: BFF

One of the biggest enemies of the 3-4-3 is space in behind due to the absence of full-backs. And Bangladesh have been caught out at times in both the games as opponents dinked balls over the defence line or speared it through to space in behind for runners to exploit, but much of it was sniffed out by Rupna's excellent presence of mind.

A well-drilled Butler's group have often used the offside trap to great effect up to this point in the competition -- seamlessly working together to push forward as a line to catch hopeful forwards offside. And in the few instances in which the trap was breached, there was the girl from the Ghilachari hills of Rangamati, sensing the danger like a fire alarm picking up the presence of smoke in a western household.

Photo: Facebook via Rupna Chakma

As alert as a cornered cat, Rupna swooped in on the loose balls and smothered the danger by making tackles, clearances, and even pinging key passes to kickstart attacks.

A hallmark of sweeper-keepers is indeed their abilities to be comfortable on the ball and start attacks by playing out and, of course, recycling the ball from higher up their own boxes -- and expectedly come off the line every now and then to react to ominous situations -- most of which were prominent in her game.

One aspect, however, that has remarkably caught the eye is the staggering speed with which she has come off the line. This has bailed out Bangladesh's defensive line several times in the last couple of games and will continue to do so, as this aggressive style of football -- which often may come off as being high-risk, high-reward in its outlook -- has worked to great effect in dominating proceedings for 128-ranked Bangladesh against the likes of Bahrain and Myanmar, ranked 92 and 55, respectively.

Rupna in training. Photo: Facebook via Rupna Chakma

So, to hopeful forwards chasing through balls with tunnel vision for goal, beware of Rupna, The Eagle, perched in the middle of the Bangladesh goal with a bird's eye view, always ready to pounce, swoop, and deny the opposition a chance at easy glory.