Bangladesh defeated Thailand 7-2 in the ongoing Youth Asia Cup in Oman on Thursday. And with this, the Bangladesh team has qualified for the U-21 Hockey World Cup for the first time. The young Tigers have done what the national team has never been able to do.
Mohammad Joy and Mohammad Abdullah scored a pair of goals for the country. Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Mohammad Khan and Amirul Islam scored one goal each. Amirul was named Man of the Match. The Tigers started scoring goals in the third minute of the match. Three minutes later, Amirul Islam doubled the lead by scoring from a penalty corner. Abdullah scored a goal at the beginning of the second quarter.
Thailand equalized by one goal towards the end of this quarter. In the next quarter, Mohammad Hasan scored another goal to make the scoreline 4-1. Bangladesh took the lead by two more goals in this quarter. After another goal in the fourth quarter, Thailand equalized by one goal. The final whistle blew with a scoreline of 7-2.
Bangladesh has no history of playing in the World Cup at any level in hockey. This time, that dream has come true thanks to the youth. India had already secured its place as the host. The top six teams from the Junior Asia Cup will go to the World Cup. In this fifth to seventh deciding match of Group B, the Tigers won the match without giving Thailand any chance. As a result, Bangladesh entered the six teams from Asia to get a chance.