Bangladesh enjoyed a rare double victory over Kazakhstan on Tuesday, with the men’s and women’s Under-20 hockey teams both winning at the Junior Asia Cup in China.
The men’s side struck first, beating Kazakhstan 4-2 to revive their hopes of qualifying for the Junior World Cup. The women’s team followed with a 4-0 victory to maintain their perfect start in the Challenger Pool.
The men’s result came after Bangladesh opened their campaign with defeats against China and Malaysia. They lost 3-2 to hosts China before going down 4-2 to Malaysia, leaving their World Cup qualification hopes in doubt.
Sixth place at the Junior Asia Cup secures a place at the Under-21 World Cup. Bangladesh therefore needed a response against Kazakhstan and produced it with a more attacking performance.
Shimul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Tayeb Ali and Munna Islam scored one goal each for Bangladesh.
The victory also gave Bangladesh their first points of the tournament. They will now face Pakistan in their final match, with that result set to influence their position and their next opponent.
The women’s team had already built a stronger campaign before facing Kazakhstan. They entered the match after victories over Chinese Taipei and Pakistan and extended their winning run with another convincing performance.
Captain Sharika Rimon opened the scoring in the third minute from a penalty corner. Liza Akter then doubled the advantage with a field goal in the 14th minute.
Bangladesh added two more goals after the interval. Zakia Afroze Lima scored in the 46th minute before Rimon converted another penalty corner five minutes later to complete her brace.
The 4-0 victory gave Bangladesh three wins from three in the Challenger Pool and secured top spot with one match remaining. They have also guaranteed a place among the tournament’s top six.
Bangladesh will face Hong Kong China in their final Challenger Pool match. The result will determine their final position before the knockout stage.
