Bangladesh lose narrowly this time

Bangladesh lost their second leg of the Asian Cup qualifying playoff against Tajikistan 1-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today to suffer a 6-0 aggregate defeat.
An eighth-minute strike from Tajikistan defender Nazarov Akhtam – a free-kick from the edge of the box which took a slight deflection off the wall before beating the goalie at the right hand corner – divided the two sides in a game which saw the hosts dominate possession and attacks amid steady drizzle.
Since conceding the early lead, the men in red and green held sway and mounted a number of attacks, yet had to leave with another defeat, their third straight defeat to the same opposition in six months. The result leaves Bangladesh with another chance of qualification for the final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers as they will now face Bhutan in a double-leg play-off in September and October.