Bangladesh produced a spirited performance to hold China to a 1-1 draw in their final pool-stage match of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2026 at Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Punjab on Monday.
Having suffered defeats in their first four matches against India, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, Bangladesh bounced back with their best performance of the tournament to earn their first point.
China took an early lead through Chen Benhai, who scored in the second minute. However, Bangladesh fought back and found the equaliser in the third quarter.
The goal came in the 38th minute when captain Ashraful Islam converted a penalty stroke to bring Bangladesh level.
The Bangladesh defence then held firm to deny China a winner and secure a valuable draw.
Despite the result, Bangladesh finished at the bottom of the six-team pool table with one point from five matches, while China ended fifth with two points.
