After four straight defeats, Bangladesh Men’s national hockey team finally found something to celebrate as captain Ashraful Islam scored to secure a 1-1 draw against China in their final Asian Champions Trophy group match in Jalandhar, India, on Monday.
The result gave Bangladesh their first point in the tournament’s history, having lost every match during their debut appearance in Dhaka in 2021.
Bangladesh entered the contest under pressure after losing to India, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. They also faced a China side that had beaten them 7-1 at the Asian Games.
China started strongly and took the lead in the first quarter, leaving Bangladesh with another difficult task.
However, the men in red and green refused to surrender. They fought for possession and tried to create chances despite China’s early advantage. Bangladesh gradually improved their performance and began putting pressure on the Chinese defence.
Their efforts finally paid off in the third quarter when Ashraful converted a penalty stroke to bring Bangladesh level. China pushed forward in search of another goal, but Bangladesh defended well and held on until the final whistle.
The draw also brought back memories of Bangladesh’s previous success against China. They had beaten the Chinese side 3-2 in the 2013 Hockey World League Round 2 and won a shootout against them at the 2017 Asia Cup.
Bangladesh finished their campaign without a win, but their final performance offered some encouragement after a difficult tournament.
The team will return home with just one point from five matches, although Ashraful’s equaliser ensured they avoided another defeat and ended their campaign with a historic result.
