Bangladesh’s slim hopes of qualifying for the Asian Cup are now officially over after Singapore’s victory against India.
Bangladesh’s qualification dream had already dimmed following their draw against Hong Kong China. The faint mathematical chance that remained was completely erased when Singapore defeated India.
In the return-leg match of the third-round qualifiers on Tuesday at Kai Tak Stadium, Bangladesh drew 1–1 with Hong Kong China. Earlier in the day, Singapore beat India 2–1 — a result that confirmed both India and Bangladesh’s elimination from Group C.
Now, the top spot and qualification battle are between Singapore and Hong Kong, both sitting on 8 points after four matches. India and Bangladesh, meanwhile, are level on 2 points each.
All four teams still have two matches remaining, but for India and Bangladesh, the upcoming games in November and March are now just a formality. In the current standings, India are third, and Bangladesh are bottom of the group. The remaining matches will only decide how high these two teams can finish on the table.
Bangladesh began their qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against India in Shillong last March. They then lost 2–1 to Singapore at the National Stadium, followed by a heartbreaking 4–3 defeat to Hong Kong China in a seven-goal thriller last Thursday — a loss that left them on the brink of elimination.
Still, Bangladesh held onto hope. With overseas-based players like Hamza Choudhury (England), Shomit Som (Canada), Fahamidul Islam (Italy), and Zayan Ahmed (USA), the team dreamed of a turnaround in the remaining matches.
Their “first test” in that pursuit came in Tuesday’s rematch against Hong Kong China. Although they managed to avoid defeat, failing to win meant that Bangladesh’s journey toward Asian Cup qualification came to an end — with two games still left to play.
