Bangladesh stand sixth in Asia Cup

Bangladesh national hockey team came out second best as they were thrashed 8-0 in their fifth-place encounter against Pakistan in Asia Cup Hockey 2022 on Wednesday.

Iman Gobinathan’s men had a chance to finish fifth, potentially Bangladesh’s best finish in the Asian Cup, but had to end the tournament in disappointment as they failed to better their previous best.

At the GBK Hockey Field in Jakarta, Bangladesh managed to hold their own in the first two quarters, conceding two goals in each, but suffered a mauling in the next two quarters, conceding six goals.

A much superior side in terms of World Rankings, Pakistan, who are ranked 18th, produced a dominant display and reigned supreme against 27th ranked Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s Rezwan Ali broke the deadlock in the first quarter, scoring in the 11th minute from a penalty corner.

Mubassher Ali followed it up with a brace as he found the net in the 16th and 32nd minutes. Afraz squeezed one in the 36th minute, and in the 42nd, Abdul Shahid scored the fifth for Pakistan.

The goal-fest continued as Pakistan skipper Umar Bhutto found the net to put his team 6-0 up. The seventh goal came from Azaz Ahmed, and Ali Gazanfar delivered the final nail in the coffin in the dying minutes of the game.

Bangladesh’s performances against teams of similar calibre in the past few months have been positive but their failure to compete against sides who are ranked above them continues to blemish their efforts.

In the group stages of the Asian Cup, Bangladesh suffered heavy defeats against South Korea and Malaysia. They lost 6-1 against South Korea and failed to put up a fight in their 8-1 defeat against Malaysia.