Bangladesh claim first hockey win at Asian Games, thrash Sri Lank

Bangladesh registered their first victory in men's hockey at the 20th Asian Games, dominating Sri Lanka 5-1 in a Pool A contest in Gifu, Japan, on Thursday.

Amirul Islam and Ashraful Islam netted twice each, while Mahbub Hossain contributed the remaining goal as Bangladesh collected their first three points of the tournament. Amirul put the team ahead in the eighth minute, and Ashraful doubled the advantage in the second quarter. Although Sri Lanka managed to pull one back, Amirul promptly restored the two-goal cushion, after which Mahbub and Ashraful completed the scoring.

Moreover, Bangladesh dominated proceedings throughout, earning 18 penalty corners and sustaining relentless pressure on the opposition's defence. Consequently, the result marked a welcome turnaround for the team, who had suffered defeats to South Korea and Japan in their opening two fixtures.

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Meanwhile, attention now turns to the remaining Pool A matches. Bangladesh will face Indonesia on September 26 and India on September 28, and they will be hoping to build on this momentum in both games.