Bangladesh’s aspirations of advancing to the qualifiers of the AFC Asian Cup have been crushed as they suffered a 3-1 thrashing away to Bhutan.
Tom Saintfiet’s men needed at least a 1-1 draw to progress for the qualifying playoffs, but instead, they conceded their first-ever defeat to Bhutan in the second leg of the tie which followed a goalless draw in Dhaka.
Chencho Gyeltshen netted a brace and missed a penalty while Jigme Tshering Dorjee was also on target for Bhutan at Thimpu’s Changlimithang Stadium.
The hosts took the lead after just four minutes at Changlimithang Stadium as defender Jigme Tshering Dorjee headed home from a corner before Chencho Gyeltshen added a crucial second midway through the first half with a header of his own.
Atiqur Rahman Meshu pulled a goal back for Bangladesh from a freekick in the second half but Gyeltshen then restored the two-goal advantage soon after before missing from the spot as Bhutan went on to secure a historic place in the final round of qualifiers
Bangladesh will now feature in next month’s AFC Solidarity Cup in Malaysia.
Source: Bd news24
