Bangladesh Falls Short in Seven-Goal Thriller

Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the Asian Cup are hanging by a thread after a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Hong Kong, China in their home qualifier at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Thursday.

In a pulsating encounter that ebbed and flowed, the hosts took an early lead through a moment of brilliance from Hamza Choudhury, only to squander it twice before conceding the decisive goal in the final minute of stoppage time.

Hamza opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a stunning free-kick from a tight angle that sent the crowd into raptures. The Leicester City midfielder’s strike — possibly helped by a slight deflection — wrong-footed the goalkeeper and gave Bangladesh a dream start. However, the early advantage only masked the defensive vulnerabilities that would soon unravel.

Hong Kong equalised just before the break when Bangladesh failed to clear a corner, allowing Everton Camargo to slot home from close range. The second half continued in similar fashion, with a defensive lapse gifting substitute Raphael Merkies an easy finish to make it 2-1.

Minutes later, Merkies struck again after being left unmarked inside the box, exposing Bangladesh’s poor organisation at the back.

Trailing 1-3 and seemingly out of the contest, Javier Cabrera’s men mounted a late fightback. Shekh Morsalin pounced on a goalkeeper error in the 84th minute, before substitute Shamit Shome headed in a stoppage-time equaliser to send the home fans into wild celebrations.

But the joy was short-lived. Straight from kick-off, Hong Kong charged forward unchecked, and Merkies completed his hat-trick with a calm finish to seal a 4-3 win and stun the crowd into silence.

Bangladesh displayed courage and attacking flair, but once again, their defensive shortcomings proved costly. Each goal conceded stemmed from individual mistakes or poor positioning — problems that continue to haunt them throughout the qualifiers.