Bangladesh women suffer 5–0 defeat to North Korea in Asian Cup

Bangladesh women's national football team suffered a 5–0 defeat against North Korea women's national football team in their second match of the AFC Women's Asian Cup at CommBank Stadium on Friday (March 6).

Bangladesh, currently ranked 112th in the FIFA rankings, faced ninth-ranked North Korea, the highest-ranked team in their group. The defeat followed Bangladesh’s 2–0 loss to defending champions China women's national football team in their tournament opener.

North Korea dominated possession and attacking play from the start. Bangladesh goalkeeper Milly Akter made several saves in the first half, while three North Korean goals were ruled out after VAR reviews for handball, foul and offside. However, North Korea broke the deadlock just before halftime through a penalty after Bangladesh captain Afida Khandakar conceded a foul inside the box, before adding another goal minutes later following a defensive error.

The second half saw continued pressure from North Korea, who scored twice in quick succession in the 63rd and 64th minutes before adding another goal late in the match to seal the 5–0 victory.

Bangladesh struggled to create attacking opportunities and failed to register a shot on target, despite forward Rituparna Chakma operating near the opposition box for much of the match.

After two matches, North Korea have collected six points and moved close to securing a quarterfinal berth. Bangladesh, meanwhile, must secure at least a point against Uzbekistan women's national football team in their final group match to keep hopes alive of progressing, potentially as one of the best third-placed teams depending on results in other groups.