Bangladesh claimed their first-ever point in the Asian Champions Trophy after coming from a goal down to hold China to a 1-1 draw in their final Pool match in Jalandhar, Punjab, on Monday. Source:thedailystar.net

Having lost all their matches on their debut in the 2021 edition in Dhaka, Bangladesh arrived at the tournament’s final fixture on the back of four successive defeats against India, Malaysia, Japan and Korea. Expectations were low against China, who had thrashed them 7-1 at the Asian Games in Japan.

However, the men in red and green showed resilience to earn a hard-fought draw against a side they last defeated in a shootout at the 2017 Asia Cup. Bangladesh had also beaten China 3-2 in the now-defunct Hockey World League Round 2 in 2013.

Bangladesh saved their best performance for their final Pool outing, producing a spirited display to claim a deserved point despite falling behind early in the first quarter. Rather than retreating, they responded positively and fought for possession across the pitch.

Their persistence paid off in the third quarter when captain Ashraful Islam calmly converted a penalty stroke to restore parity.

Bangladesh then held their ground under pressure to keep China at bay until the final hooter, securing a historic result to close their campaign.