Evening had fallen in the Sydney sky. The gallery was roaring. The number of spectators for both teams may have been six thousand, but the way the red-green fans were cheering for the team, it seemed like at least 20 thousand people had gathered in the gallery.

Bangladeshi girls put up a great fight against a football superpower like China on the big stage of the Asian Cup. This fight, which lasted 90 minutes, was a story of courage. The scoreboard on the field showed a 2-0 lead, but the determination that Bangladeshi girls showed throughout the match sent a new message to the map of Asian football.

The current champions of the Asian Cup were afraid of losing by a large margin. At least that did not happen. Losing 2-0 is very respectable; that’s why the Bangladeshi girls won despite losing. Monica-Mariya left the field with their heads held high, playing their first match on such a big stage of the Asian Cup.

Match statistics appeared on the big screen in the 88th minute. Ball possession China 59, Bangladesh 41. China’s passes were 375, Bangladesh’s 257. Bangladesh may be behind in statistics, but no amount of praise is enough for the fight the Bangladesh girls gave against the 8-time World Cup team.

From the start of the match, coach Peter Butler’s plan was clear – to stop China’s powerful attack. Putting young Mili Akhter under the goalpost instead of the experienced Rupna Chakma was a bold gamble to take advantage of her height.

In defense, Shiuli Azim, Shamsunnahar Senior, Afaida Khandaker, Kohati Kisku and Nabiron Khatun together stopped China’s dynamic football for 42 minutes. This is a testament to the incredible improvement of Bangladesh’s defense. In particular, the way goalkeeper Mili Akhter stopped Wang Xuan’s sure goal in the 12th minute and bravely kept the goalpost in place throughout the match was simply amazing.

The biggest regret for Bangladesh came in the 14th minute of the match. Star winger Rituparna Chakma took the ball with lightning speed from the left wing. The long-range shot she took with her left foot, knocking off a defender who was clinging to her, floated in the air and entered the goalpost. The history of the match would have been written differently today if Chinese goalkeeper Chen Chen had not stopped it just before it entered the goalpost. Rituparna’s attack showed that Bangladesh did not just defend, but also know how to shake the opponent when given the opportunity.

Monica Chakma and Maria Manda fought hard in the midfield. In the first half, Shamsunnahar Junior, as a lone striker, was physically inferior to the tall defenders of China, but did not give up the fight. When Wang Xuyang scored in the 24th minute of the match, the gallery fell silent.

However, the goal was disallowed as the VAR technology, which was introduced for the first time in Bangladeshi football history, was proven to be offside. When Thai referee Pansa Chaisaint blew the whistle to disallow the goal, it seemed that a piece of Bangladesh had come back to life on the Sydney field.

However, Bangladesh suffered a setback in the 43rd minute. Just when it seemed that they would go into the break with a goalless draw, a great long-range shot by Wang Xuan hit the far post. The Chinese winger, who plays for Wuhan Jiangda and has 100th match experience, single-handedly kept the Bangladeshi defense busy. The second goal in added time of the first half was even more of a cry, where the ball was deflected into the net by Kohati Kisku.

At the beginning of the second half, Coach Butler brought Halima, Tahura Khatun and Swapna Rani to the field to increase the attacking edge. Especially after Swapna Rani came on, the momentum was generated in the midfield. Bangladesh did not score a goal despite the speed of the forwards of Bangladesh who had worried the Chinese defenders.

A Chinese journalist had expressed surprise at Bangladesh captain Afida at the press conference the day before the match – can such a young captain with his team compete with the experienced Chinese? After today’s field battle, that journalist must have got his answer. These girls have proven today that they know how to compete.

Although China is far ahead in physical ability and experience, the Bangladeshi girls have shown that they are now able to talk eye to eye with the Asian champion. After the excitement of the expatriate Bangladeshis in the Sydney field and this deadly battle of the girls, this loss is a new confidence for Bangladesh. It is a step forward on the path to great achievements in the future. Although the red-green girls lost today, they left the field with a winning spirit. They can now dream of an incident against North Korea on March 6.