Bangladesh edge Chinese Taipei to finish fifth in Asian Games Qualifiers

Last edition’s runners-up, Bangladesh hockey team, eventually finished fifth in Men's Asian Games Qualifiers after registering a 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei in the fifth-place deciding match in Bangkok on Friday.

Bangladesh, who on Thursday survived a scare to qualify for the upcoming Asian Games with a nerve-wracking 3-2 win over Hong Kong in a shootout, broke the deadlock in the seventh minute, with Ashraful Islam converting the penalty corner, before Wei Cheng-Ze brought back Taipei into the match by levelling the margin from open play in the 11th minute.

Read more

‘A stone removed from our chests’

It was again Ashraful who restored the lead two minutes into the second quarter, also by converting a penalty corner.

Chinese Taipei once again showed the character to level the margin just one minute from the interval, as Lo Hai-Kai struck from open play.

After resumption, Bangladesh pressed hard to restore lead, and newcomer Mehrab Hasan Samin struck the winner in the 38th minute from open play to deny Chinese Taipei, a side Bangladesh beat with a narrow 4-3 margin in their tournament opener.