Men keep WC dream alive, women seal top-six berth

Bangladesh enjoyed a memorable double in continental junior hockey on Tuesday as the under-20 men revived their World Cup qualification hopes with a maiden victory, while the women maintained their winning run to secure a place in the tournament’s top six.

After suffering consecutive defeats in their opening two matches of the Men's Junior Asia Cup, Bangladesh bounced back with a 4-2 win over Kazakhstan in their third outing. The crucial victory kept their World Cup hopes alive, with a top-six finish guaranteeing qualification for the Junior World Cup.

Giles Bonnet's charges took control early with an attacking approach, finding the net through Shimul Islam, Mehedi Hasan Ovi, Tayab Ali and Munna Islam. They had previously suffered a 3-2 defeat to hosts China before going down 4-2 to Malaysia.

Bangladesh coach Moududur Rahman Shuvo stressed that qualification remains within their reach.

"Our World Cup dream is still very much alive," Shuvo said. "As things stand, we will probably finish fourth in the group, which means we must play the third-placed team from the other pool. A win in that play-off takes us directly to the World Cup, so we are shaping our plans and preparing for whoever finishes third."

"The boys played really well in the last two matches, but small mistakes and missed chances cost us points. We needed a win to turn things around. This result gives the players huge confidence, and I expect them to express themselves even better in the next games," he added.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh under-20 women's team continued their impressive campaign at the Junior Women's Asia Cup in Inner Mongolia, China, cruising to a 4-0 victory over Kazakhstan in their "Challenger Pool" encounter.

The win confirmed Bangladesh as pool champions with a match to spare and also secured their place among the tournament's top six teams.

Captain Sharika Rimon opened the scoring with a third-minute penalty corner before Liza Akter doubled the advantage with a field goal in the 14th minute. Zakia Afroz Lima made it 3-0 in the 46th minute, while Sharika completed the rout with another penalty-corner goal in the 51st minute.

Having already defeated Chinese Taipei and Pakistan, Bangladesh secured their third straight win. They will face Hong Kong, China, in their final group fixture on Wednesday.