Bangladesh women’s hockey team scripted another milestone after beating Hong Kong, China in the Women’s Asian Games Qualifier in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sunday.
It was their second successive victory in just three international matches. Their previous win marked the team’s first-ever senior international triumph.
The girls in red and green secured qualification for the Asian Games for the first time with a 2-1 win over Hong Kong in their final group match of the qualifier held at the GBK Hockey Field.
The victory came in dramatic fashion against an experienced Hong Kong side. Bangladesh fell behind early when Ka Mun Melissa scored in the opening minute.
However, Nadia Ema equalised in the 10th minute before Kona Akter netted the decisive goal in the 39th minute.
Arpita Pal and her team had earlier registered Bangladesh women’s first international win in only their second senior match, defeating Uzbekistan 3-2 on Friday.
Their opening match ended in a draw against Chinese Taipei.
With two wins and a draw, Bangladesh topped Pool A with seven points to secure a place in the final phase of qualification.
Arpita and Kona scored three goals each in the tournament, while Riya Airin added two, helping Bangladesh score a total of 10 goals in their debut campaign.
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Japan in September–October this year, as Bangladesh women’s hockey team will make their first-ever appearance in the competition following this memorable qualification run.
In Pool B, Indonesia finished top with three wins from as many matches, while Singapore placed second with six points from two victories.
Bangladesh and Singapore will face each other in the semi-finals on Tuesday.