Bangladesh national field hockey team produced a composed performance to secure a fifth-place finish in the Asian Games hockey qualifiers, defeating Chinese Taipei national field hockey team 3–2 in Bangkok.
Having already guaranteed qualification for the Asian Games by finishing inside the top six, Bangladesh ended their campaign on a high by edging Chinese Taipei in a tightly contested playoff at the Royal Thai Air Force Hockey Ground.
Ashraful Islam struck twice from penalty corners to give Bangladesh the early advantage, first in the seventh minute before restoring the lead again early in the second quarter after Chinese Taipei had equalised.
The opposition responded twice, including a leveller at the start of the third quarter, keeping the contest finely balanced throughout.
The breakthrough came in the 38th minute when Mehrab Hossain scored from open play to put Bangladesh ahead for the third time. The defence then held firm to secure victory and confirm fifth place.
Bangladesh began their campaign with a 4–3 win over Chinese Taipei, before losing 3–2 to Sri Lanka. A 1–1 draw with Uzbekistan sent them into classification matches.
They then drew 4–4 with Hong Kong China before winning 3–2 on penalties to book their Asian Games spot.
The 20th Asian Games will be held in September in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan.
