The Bangladesh men’s hockey team edged past Hong Kong China in a thrilling encounter in Thailand on Thursday to secure qualification for the Asian Games 2026.
After normal time ended 4-4, Bangladesh held their nerve to win 3-2 in the penalty shootout in one of the most dramatic matches of the Men’s Asian Games Qualifier 2026.
The 5th–8th classification match was held at the Royal Thai Air Force Hockey Field in Bangkok. With the victory, Bangladesh confirmed their place among the top six teams in the qualifier, ensuring a spot at the 2026 Asian Games.
Bangladesh made a flying start as Rakibul Hasan gave them the lead in the fourth minute. Amirul Islam doubled the advantage a minute later from a penalty stroke.
Hong Kong China responded quickly, with Au Pak Ko Parco reducing the deficit in the sixth minute. Ishtiaq Ahmed then restored parity in the 32nd minute, converting from a penalty corner.
Ashraful Islam put Bangladesh ahead again in the 41st minute with a well-taken penalty corner. Kuldeep Singh equalised in the 46th minute before Ashraful struck once more from another penalty corner just a minute later to make it 4-3.
However, Hong Kong refused to back down. Iu Felix Chi Him converted a penalty stroke in the 48th minute to level the score at 4-4, setting up a tense finale.
Bangladesh earned three more penalty corners in the closing stages but failed to capitalise, forcing the match into a shootout.
In the tie-breaker, Obaidul Joy, Roman Sarkar and Fazla Rabby converted their chances to seal a 3-2 victory, sparking scenes of joy and relief among the Bangladesh players.
The Asian Hockey Federation, describing the contest, said both teams displayed outstanding attacking intent, resilience and determination throughout the match. Momentum swung repeatedly in an end-to-end battle filled with goals and excitement. Bangladesh rose to the occasion in key moments, while Hong Kong China responded strongly each time to keep the match level, leading to a tense finish before the shootout decided the outcome.
Earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh began their campaign with a 4-3 win over Chinese Taipei in their opening Pool B match. They then suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Sri Lanka before playing out a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan in their final group fixture.
