Bangladesh lose 4-1 to Malaysia despite early lead in Asia Cup hockey opener
The match, held at the Bihar Sports Hockey Stadium in Rajgir, India, saw Bangladesh put up a strong fight in the first quarter. Although Malaysia created several chances, Bangladesh’s solid defence prevented them from scoring.
Despite taking an early lead, Bangladesh lost 4-1 to Malaysia in their opening match of the Asia Cup Hockey tournament. Ashraful Islam scored the only goal for Bangladesh.
The match, held at the Bihar Sports Hockey Stadium in Rajgir, India, saw Bangladesh put up a strong fight in the first quarter. Although Malaysia created several chances, Bangladesh's solid defence prevented them from scoring.
Bangladesh took the lead early in the second quarter when Ashraful converted a penalty corner. However, Mashior Rahman's side couldn't hold on to the advantage for long. In the 24th minute, Ashran Hamsani equalised for Malaysia, and the second quarter ended 1-1.
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In the third quarter, both teams pushed hard for a goal. In the 35th minute, Akhimullah capitalised on a penalty corner to put Malaysia ahead. After going down 2-1, Bangladesh attempted to attack more aggressively, but couldn't find the net. Instead, they conceded two more goals in the fourth quarter.
Malaysia are significantly ahead of Bangladesh in terms of strength and ranking, sitting 17 places higher in the world rankings. In the 2022 Asia Cup, Bangladesh lost 8-1 to Malaysia, and before that, they were beaten 7-0 by the same team in the 2018 Asian Games.
Bangladesh weren't originally supposed to participate in this year's Asia Cup. Their opportunity came after Pakistan withdrew. If they can make the most of this chance, players like Obaidul Hossain and Biplob Kujur could help the team qualify for the Hockey World Cup.
The World Cup will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands in August next year. The Asia Cup champions will directly qualify for the 16-team tournament, while the next top five teams will move on to the World Cup qualifiers in February.
Bangladesh have participated in the Asia Cup 11 times since the tournament began in 1982. Their best result so far is a fifth-place finish. In this year's group stage, Bangladesh are placed alongside Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, and the tournament's most successful team, five-time champions South Korea.
Among the group teams, only Chinese Taipei (ranked 38th) are below Bangladesh (ranked 29th) in the world rankings. Malaysia are ranked 12th and South Korea 13th. Bangladesh will face Chinese Taipei tomorrow and South Korea on 1 September.
