Bangladesh put up a surprise display in their last group match of the 2015 Men’s Junior Asia Cup as the young Tigers inflicted a 2-0 defeat on powerhouse South Korea at Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Malaysia yesterday.
The youngsters in red and green finished their Pool B campaign as the runners-up side with six points from three matches. Bangladesh earlier defeated Oman 5-4 in their second and penultimate match last Sunday.
Sarwar Hossain put Bangladesh ahead in the 25th minute through a field goal as the first half ended 1-0. They continued their fine performance in the second half as well when Milon Hossain’s 46th minute strike sealed the crucial win.
“My teammates were fully motivated to go out there and win against Korea. And it was our determination that won us the match,” said Bangladesh captain Asim Gope after the game.
Just a year ago, the senior Bangladesh side lost 7-0 to the same opponents in the Asian Games hockey. It was a bit of a surprise therefore when Korean head coach Jang Jung Min said before yesterday’s game, “We will not underestimate Bangladesh at all. They are capable of causing surprise.”
But following their 2-0 defeat, Jang’s words of caution were fully justified. In the process, Bangladesh, under the stewardship of head coach Harunur Rashid, progressed to the quarter-finals of the event. They will now face the third-placed team of Pool A.
