Bangladesh national women鈥檚 football team head coach Peter Butler remained optimistic despite his team鈥檚 3-1 loss to the United Arab Emirates in their first of the two FIFA international friendlies at the UAE Football Association Pitch-1 in Dubai on Wednesday night.
Bangladesh fell behind in the 18th minute as Elizabeth Forshaw gave UAE the lead before Georgia Gibson doubled the margin in the 28th minute.
Bangladesh reduced the gap with captain Afeida Khandokar scoring from the penalty spot in the 35th minute before Gibson scored her second for the hosts in the 73rd minute.
This was Bangladesh鈥檚 first international engagement since their SAFF Women鈥檚 Championship triumph in Nepal in October 2024 and their first-ever clash against the UAE.
The Bangladesh squad was comprised mostly of under-20 players due to the exclusion of 18 rebel senior footballers, while the UAE played with an experienced side that included a few European-origin players.
Butler lamented over the loss but emphasised on the players鈥� development through the games.
鈥業t鈥檚 disappointing to lose any game鈥his is not about winning games, but this is about development, about preparing a team for SAFF, looking forward to the AFC, and future competitions,鈥� Butler said after the match.
鈥楾he way we played was outstanding; we played some great football...(I am) very positive even though the result was not in our favour,鈥� he said.
Bangladesh and UAE will face each other in their second and final game on March 2.