Bangladesh beat Chinese Taipei 4-3 in their opening match.
The game was part of the Asian Games hockey qualifiers in Thailand. The tournament will decide teams for the September Games in Nagoya, Japan.
Chinese Taipei made a fast start. Chi Hu-Shan scored in the fourth minute. Bangladesh hit back late in the first quarter. Ashraful Islam scored from a penalty corner to level the score.
Bangladesh took control in the second quarter. Ashraful scored again from another penalty corner. Bangladesh went into the break with a 2-1 lead.
Amirul Islam scored in the third quarter from a penalty corner. Bangladesh pushed for more goals but could not add to the score. The third quarter ended 3-1.
The final quarter turned tense. Chinese Taipei earned early penalty corners and put pressure on Bangladesh. Bangladesh stayed calm and scored again in the 59th minute. Din Islam Emon made it 4-1 from a penalty corner.
Chinese Taipei did not give up. Chi Hu-Shan scored again to make it 4-2. Just seconds later, they scored from another penalty corner to cut the gap to one goal.
Bangladesh defended carefully in the final moments and secured the win.
They will face Sri Lanka in the next match. The top two teams from each group will move to the semi-finals. The four semi-finalists will qualify for the Asian Games. Bangladesh have won this qualifying event more than once.
