Bangladesh finish runners-up in FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival Tier E final

Bangladesh’s Under-15 side finished as runners-up in Tier E of the FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival after a 4-1 defeat to the Central African Republic in Baku on Friday.

Mohi scored a hat-trick in the final at Baku Crystal Hall.

Mohi completed his treble a minute from time, after striking his second in the 26th minute, soon after Takib had pulled one back for Bangladesh in the 23rd. The Central African Republic then never let the young side back into the contest.

Bangladesh went in at the break two down. Mohi opened the scoring in the 14th minute, and Penel doubled the advantage two minutes later. Takib’s reply came three minutes after the restart. The competition is eight-a-side, with matches split into two 20-minute halves.

Bangladesh had reached the decider with a strong knockout run. They beat Singapore 4-3 on penalties, thrashed Montenegro 4-0 in the next round and edged Gabon 1-0 in the semi-final to reach the Tier E final, the decider for 129th place overall.

A total of 189 nations are competing in Azerbaijan in a tournament FIFA is staging for the first time, split into 32 groups. Bangladesh finished fifth in Group C, which placed them in Tier E, the fifth of six levels, each with its own champion.

Their group campaign had produced five points from five matches, with one win and two draws. Though the final went against them, three knockout wins, one of them on penalties, gave the young squad a run that deserved real credit.