Asian Hockey Champions Trophy: Bangladesh Earn First-Ever Point After Holding China to a Draw

Bangladesh fought back from an early setback to hold China to a 1-1 draw in their final pool-stage match in Jalandhar, Punjab. The result secured the Red and Greens their first-ever point in the history of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament. Bangladesh produced a spirited performance at the Surjit Hockey Stadium yesterday, finally earning a long-awaited result. This is Bangladesh’s second appearance in the competition, having made their debut in the 2021 edition hosted in Dhaka, where they lost every match. They had also suffered four consecutive defeats in this year’s tournament against India, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. Bangladesh began with a 13-0 defeat to hosts India, followed by a 1-0 loss to Japan, a 6-1 defeat to Malaysia and a 5-0 loss to South Korea. They finally opened their points account against China.

Having suffered a 7-1 thrashing at China’s hands at the Asian Games in Japan last month, Bangladesh had little reason to expect a turnaround. However, the team defied expectations with a determined display. Bangladesh had previously beaten China in a shootout at the 2017 Asia Cup and by 3-2 in the 2013 Hockey World League Round Two, now discontinued. China took the lead in the opening quarter through a field goal by Chen Benhai in the second minute. Bangladesh refused to surrender after falling behind, maintaining an attacking approach and fighting spirit throughout the contest. Their breakthrough came in the third quarter when captain Ashraful Islam converted a penalty stroke in the 37th minute to level the score. Bangladesh then held firm against China’s attacks until the final whistle, securing a historic draw. Bangladesh remain bottom of the six-team pool standings with one point from five matches, while China sit fifth with two points from the same number of games. The two sides will meet again tomorrow in the fifth-place playoff at the Mohali International Hockey Stadium. Hosts India, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea have secured their places in the semi-finals.