24 September :Bangladesh secured their first victory in men’s hockey at the ongoing 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a commanding 5-1 win over Sri Lanka in a Pool A match on Thursday, 24 September.
The victory marked a strong response from Bangladesh after opening their Asian Games campaign with defeats against strong South Korea and hosts Japan. The team also carried the bitter memory of losing to Sri Lanka in the Asian Games qualifiers last April, their first defeat to the island nation in 20 years. This time, however, Bangladesh delivered an impressive performance to secure a convincing win.
At the Kawasaki Juko Stadium in Japan, the Red and Green team began the match aggressively. Their attacking approach paid off in the eighth minute when Amirul Islam scored to give Bangladesh a 1-0 lead.
Bangladesh maintained their attacking momentum in the second quarter. Ashraful Islam doubled the advantage in the 16th minute, making it 2-0. Sri Lanka, however, responded just two minutes later to give themselves a chance of returning to the contest. Kushal Weerappoli scored in the 18th minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
Bangladesh regained control of the match in the third quarter. Amirul Islam scored his second goal of the game in the 27th minute to extend Bangladesh’s lead to 3-1. Mahbub Hossain then added another goal in the 43rd minute, further widening the gap.
Bangladesh continued their attacking play in the final quarter. Ashraful Islam scored his second goal of the match from a penalty in the 54th minute, putting Bangladesh 5-1 ahead. No further goals were scored, and Bangladesh secured a comprehensive victory.
Bangladesh’s attacking dominance was also reflected in the number of penalty corners they earned during the match. The team won more than 15 penalty corners, keeping Sri Lanka’s defence under sustained pressure. Although Kushal scored once for Sri Lanka, his goal only reduced the margin and could not prevent Bangladesh from claiming victory.
Bangladesh still have two matches remaining in the group stage. The team, coached by German coach Peter Gerhard, will face Indonesia on 26 September and India on 28 September.