By the fifteenth minute, Pakistan was down to four players, but Bangladesh could not capitalize. Two minutes later, the team fell behind, and Pakistan quickly doubled the lead. Although Bangladesh managed to pull one back in the second half, they ultimately suffered a heavy defeat.
At Nonthaburi Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, Bangladesh was eliminated from the SAFF Futsal title race after a 5-1 loss to Pakistan on Thursday. Saeed Khodarahmi’s team collected 7 points from five matches.
Bangladesh still has one match remaining, facing Nepal in the round-robin league on Saturday.
The Maldives lead the title race, topping the table with 12 points from four wins. Pakistan sits second with 10 points from five matches. The team with the highest points in the round-robin stage will be crowned champion.
Bangladesh began the tournament with a 4-4 draw against India, then lost 6-1 to the Maldives in the second match. The team rebounded by defeating Bhutan 4-1 and Sri Lanka 5-1 in the next two games.
After beating Sri Lanka to move into second place, Bangladesh faced Pakistan head-on. In the third minute, Rahbar Wahed Khan’s footwork got past one defender, but his shot sailed well over the crossbar. Soon after, Faisal Hossain’s attempt went just wide of the post.
In the fourth minute, Hamza Nusrat’s backheel from a corner was off target. Rahbar again squandered a chance, hitting the goalkeeper while alone in front of the net. Later, Zafar Khan’s long-range effort was brilliantly saved by Bangladesh’s goalkeeper Zahid Hasan Rabbi.
With five minutes remaining in the first half, Pakistan was down to four players. Hamza’s shot was blocked by Rabbi’s gloves, and Foyez Ahmed tried to clear, but a misconnection led to Akib Faisal striking the ball with Foyez’s chin. The referee showed a red card for the serious foul.
By the seventeenth minute, Pakistan took the lead. From a corner, Ali Agha ran toward the circle and delivered a precise back pass to Hamza, who slotted it into the net.
In the tenth minute of the second half, Bangladesh conceded a second goal due to a blunder by Kazi Ibrahim Ahmed. Losing possession inside their circle, the ball fell to Zaid Ullah Khan, who easily finished from close range.
Five minutes before the final whistle, Bangladesh pulled one back. Fayez Azam capitalized on a short pass from Tajwar bin Kashem, sliding it past the diving goalkeeper into the net.
Pakistan, however, struck three more times, with goals from Salar Ahmed Khan, Zaid, and Ali Agha, ending Bangladesh’s hopes of a comeback.
