Bangladesh continued their impressive campaign in the IHF Trophy U-18 competition with a commanding 39-25 victory over Nepal, securing their second win in three matches in the round-robin stage.
The win came just a day after Jebedai Bawm was named Player of the Match against the Maldives. For the Bandarban native, a student of Quantar Cosmo School and College, earning such recognition for the second time in an international tournament was clearly special. Yet, his focus remained firmly on the team rather than individual accolades.
Saturday’s match at the Shaheed Captain M. Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium in Paltan saw Bangladesh control proceedings from start to finish. Nepal struggled to cope with the hosts’ pace and movement, particularly in attack.
Jebedai Bawm and David Bawm finished as Bangladesh’s joint top scorers with seven goals each, sharing scoring honors in the emphatic win.
The celebrations afterward reflected the upbeat mood inside the Bangladesh camp. Teammates lifted Jebedai onto their shoulders before gathering in a circle on the court, where music and dancing marked another successful evening for the hosts.
Interestingly, despite finishing among the top scorers, Jebedai did not appear fully satisfied with his own performance. That assessment may surprise some observers, especially considering his remarkable 18-goal haul against India earlier in the tournament. Against Nepal, however, he felt he could have contributed more.
“I would give myself five out of ten,” he said after the match. “I played for the team and for Bangladesh. I never play for myself. Today, I wanted someone else to get the award.”
His comments also reflected the disappointment that still lingers from Bangladesh’s narrow defeat to India earlier in the tournament. The margin in that contest was just four goals — a gap Jebedai believes the team could have overturned.
“We felt very bad after losing that match,” he said. “The difference was only four goals. We could have closed that gap and won.”
Attention now turns to Bangladesh’s final league fixture against Afghanistan, scheduled for 1:00 pm on June 14. Jebedai expects another tough contest.
“Afghanistan are a strong team,” he said. “I want us to play against them the same way we played against India and Nepal.”
Action in Dhaka will continue later on Saturday with the U-20 semifinals. Bangladesh are set to face Yemen at 7:00 pm, while India will take on the Maldives in the other semifinal at 5:00 pm.
