In the men’s Under-18 Youth Asian Hockey Fives Championship, Bangladesh has picked up an outstanding win from the three matches of the first stage.

Despite losing the first two games by a big margin against India and Pakistan on Monday, the youngsters in red and green registered a win in the third clash on Tuesday.

The junior hockey team posted a win by 4-3 margin in a breathtaking clash against hosts Oman.

The official qualifying tournament for the Under-18 Youth Hockey Fives World Cup began last Monday, with teams divided into two separate pools based on their strength.

The tournament’s elite pool comprises of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Oman.

On the other hand, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia are competing in the challenger pool, which consists of comparatively weaker teams.

This tournament is completely different, fast paced and thrilling from traditional field hockey.

Each team plays with only five players, including the goalkeeper.

Teams typically adopt a 1-2-1 formation (one defender, two midfielders and one forward) or a highly aggressive 1-1-2 setup, transforming matches into high-tempo contests filled with a flurry of goals.

In the opening phase of the tournament, the Bangladesh team put up a spirited fight against formidable opponents.

Facing a strong Indian side in their first match, Bangladesh’s defence came under pressure from India’s aggressive hockey fives tactics.

Although they managed to pull back three goals, the red and greens ultimately left the field with a 3–7 defeat.

In the second encounter, the young Tigers squad sought to rectify their errors against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Although the game was a thrilling affair marked by power packed action, Bangladesh suffered a 2–5 loss due to a lack of proper finishing.

However, following two consecutive losses, Bangladesh engaged in a do-or-die battle against the hosts.

In a nerve-wracking contest that kept everyone on the edge of their seats until the final whistle, the young Bangladeshi side thwarted a last-minute attack by Oman to secure a historic and much-needed 4–3 victory.

Under the tournament’s thrilling double round-robin format, the elite group teams are getting the opportunity to face each other for a second time.

As a result, leveraging the experience gained in the first phase, it is now time for Bangladesh to fight for a complete turnaround.

There are three more matches in the second phase of the tournament, where Bangladesh will once again face their familiar rivals India, Pakistan, and Oman.

The Bangladesh team will take the field on Thursday for this crucial mission of scripting a comeback.

In their fourth match of the competition, the men in red and green will face a formidable Indian outfit.

The game is scheduled to start at 10pm Bangladesh time.

Later that same day, at 11:30pm, they will play against Pakistan, followed by a match against Oman on Friday night.

If Bangladesh win two of their remaining three second round ties, they will qualify directly for the semi-finals with four points, without any ifs or buts.

However, if they win only one match, they will have to keep an eye on the teams below them in the standings and ensure a superior goal difference.

Oman currently sit at the bottom of the table, having lost all their matches so far.

According to the regulations, the top three teams out of the four in the elite pool will advance directly to the next stage.