Bangladesh Under-20 men’s hockey team suffered their second successive defeat at the Junior Asia Cup, going down 4-2 to Malaysia on Sunday.
The result followed a 3-2 loss to China in their opening match. Bangladesh will look to get their campaign back on track when they face Kazakhstan in their third group game next Tuesday.
There was little to separate the two sides in the opening quarter at China’s Moki Training Ground, with neither team able to break the deadlock.
Malaysia, however, struck twice between the 21st and 23rd minutes to take control of the match.
Bangladesh responded quickly as Abdullah pulled one back in the 24th minute. Mehedi Hasan then completed the comeback in the third quarter, scoring a field goal to bring the scores level at 2-2.
The momentum shifted again in the final quarter. Malaysia’s Suzaimi Fahmi scored in the 48th and 51st minutes to restore his side’s lead and put them in a strong position.
Bangladesh were unable to find another response as Malaysia secured the victory.
This is Bangladesh’s ninth appearance in the Junior Asia Cup. Their best performance came in 1996, when they reached the semi-finals.
