Bangladesh reach Junior AHF Cup final

The Bangladesh U-21 national hockey team stormed into the final of the Men's Junior AHF Cup with a 3-0 win over Thailand in the first semifinal at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat yesterday.

Bangladesh will feature in today's final against the winners of the other semifinal between Uzbekistan and hosts Oman.

The margin of victory may paint the impression of an easy win for Bangladesh, who had qualified as Pool B champions with an all-win record. In reality, they faced a stiff challenge from Pool A runners-up Thailand, who had come into the semifinal on the back of one win and one draw.

Thailand kept Bangladesh at bay for the first three quarters with in-form scorers like Amirul Islam, Joy, Tahsin Ali and Rokibul Hasan Rocky struggling to break the deadlock.

However, they collapsed under the pressure of a brilliant performance from the boys in red and green in the fourth and final quarter.

Rashid Hasan Jibon broke the deadlock three minutes into the fourth quarter from open play before Huzaifa Hossain converted a penalty for his first goal of the tournament in the 56th minute.

With Bangladesh on the cusp of the final, Rokibul Hasan Rocky sealed the victory in the 56th minute with his sixth goal of the tournament.