AFC Women’s Champions League:
Khatoon crashes out after finishing bottom of Group A
Iranian top-flight champion Bam Khatoon was knocked out of the AFC Women’s Champions League after suffering a third successive defeat in Group A, going down 3-0 to host Ayeyawady FC in Yangon, Myanmar, on Saturday.
The defeat capped a dismal campaign for head coach Marziyeh Jafari’s side, which opened its group campaign with a 4-1 loss to Japan’s Kobe Leonessa before suffering a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of defending champion Naegohyang of North Korea last Wednesday.
Nwe Than Than scored in each half, with Hinari Miyamoto adding a third just after the hour mark to seal the victory for the Myanmar side, which finished third in the standings with three points.
Both teams came into the match on the back of successive defeats, but Ayeyawady capitalized on a shaky start from Khatoon.
The hosts’ high press forced Khatoon defender Melika Motevalli into an error as early as the second minute, allowing Nwe Than Than to pounce on the loose ball and set up Phyu Phyu Win, whose long-range effort looped over goalkeeper Raha Yazdani and found the net.
Khatoon tried to respond, but Mona Hamoudi’s effort was blocked before Fatemeh Shaban sent a long-range free kick over the bar in the fifth minute.
Ayeyawady continued to create the better chances, with Min Htone May Zitar firing wide in the 14th minute before Yazdani denied Naw Htet Htet Wai’s low effort two minutes later.
The Myanmar side threatened again in the 27th minute when Kurumi Iwashita met Phyu Phyu Win’s cross following a corner but sent her effort over the bar. Shaban’s strike sailed narrowly over at the other end in the 32nd minute.
Ayeyawady picked up where it had left off after the break, with Yazdani denying Nwe Than Than from close range in the 48th minute after the forward was set up by Naw Htet Htet Wai.
Nwe Than Than made no mistake 10 minutes later, though, as Win Win’s through ball found Phyu Phyu Win, who surged into the box before squaring for her teammate to fire into the top-left corner.
The Iranian side conceded again in the 63rd minute when Kana Ueda lofted the ball into the box for Hinari Miyamoto, who beat the advancing Yazdani with a deft chip.
Despite their best efforts, Khatoon failed to find a way back into the match. Shahnaz Jafari headed over from inside the box in the 80th minute before Roujin Tamrian was sent off two minutes later after receiving a second yellow card.