SPORTS REPORTER
Bangladesh produced a remarkable comeback in the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior (U-21) World Cup on Sunday, fighting back from three goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw against strong South Korea in their second Pool F match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Tamil Nadu, India.
Penalty-corner specialist Amirul Islam was the hero once again, dragging the men in red and green back into the contest with three penalty-corner goals, completing his second consecutive hattrick after scoring another treble against Australia on the opening day. The feat also lifted Amirul, adjudged player of the match for the second game, to the top of the tournament’s goal-scoring chart with six goals, level with New Zealand’s Jonty Elmes.
Bangladesh had earmarked South Korea as the team to catch as soon as the groupings were announced in late June, with the realistic target of finishing third in the pool and earning a chance for a higher ranking in the classification matches. Their spirited performance against Australia on Saturday had further strengthened belief that a first-ever victory at any level of a hockey World Cup was within reach. Korea’s 11-1 thrashing against France on the opening day also raised expectations.
However, it was South Korea who struck first. Still recovering from their heavy defeat, the Koreans started aggressively, with Minhyeok Lee converting a penalty corner in the eighth minute. Seunghan Son doubled the lead with another penalty-corner strike five minutes later, before Minhyeok added his second from a penalty stroke as Korea went into halftime leading 3-0.
Bangladesh responded brilliantly after the break. Displaying admirable grit and discipline, they mounted a spirited fightback through the relentless precision of Amirul’s drag-flicks -- scoring in the 36th, 46th and 56th minutes to complete the comeback and leave the field with heads held high.
The draw keeps Bangladesh in third position in the four-team Pool F on goal difference, with one match left -- a challenging fixture against France on December 2.