Bangladesh women beat Malaysia to finish fifth in Junior Asia Cup hockey

Bangladesh's Under 20 women's hockey team rounded off their Junior Asia Cup campaign with victory, beating Malaysia 2-1 in the fifth place play off at the Moqi Training Ground in China on Saturday.

The Red and Greens played attacking hockey from the outset but struggled to convert their chances early on, with neither side able to find the breakthrough during a goalless first half.

Bangladesh eventually broke the deadlock in the third quarter, with captain Sharika Rimon converting a penalty stroke to give her side the lead in what proved a crucial turning point in the contest.

Kona Akter doubled the advantage in the fourth quarter with a well taken field goal, putting Bangladesh in firm control of the match heading into the closing stages of play.

Malaysia pulled a goal back in the 59th minute, but it proved too little too late, with Bangladesh holding on to secure a 2-1 win and close out their tournament on a positive note.

The result followed a disappointing quarter final exit, where Bangladesh had fallen 2-0 to Japan, a defeat that ended their hopes of a direct route to next year's Junior World Cup, having needed at least a semi final finish to qualify for the tournament for the first time.

One pathway to the World Cup does remain open, however. Should India host next year's edition, tournament regulations allow another nation from the same continent to claim a place should the host already secure automatic qualification, an opportunity that would fall to Bangladesh given their fifth place finish.

Bangladesh had otherwise enjoyed a strong campaign throughout the group stage, recording comfortable wins over Chinese Taipei 7-0, Pakistan 5-1, Kazakhstan 4-0 and Hong Kong 6-0 before their quarter final setback against Japan.

The result marks a clear improvement on Bangladesh's previous appearance at the tournament in 2023, when they had finished in ninth place overall.