Bangladesh made a good start  in the 9th edition of the 10-nation Men’s Junior (U-21) Asia Cup Hockey beating their old rivals Oman by 2-0 goal in the first match held in the Omanese city of Salalah Tuesday night.

This was the 2nd consecutive victory for Bangladesh against their traditional foe Oman after clinching the Men’s Junior AHF Cup Hockey title in Muscat last January beating them by  7-6 goal in penalty shootout. 

In the next match, Bangladesh will face stronger Malaysia on Thursday (May 25).

In Tuesday's match, Bangladesh scored both the goals in a span of only two minutes in the 2nd quarter of the match with the frustration of the home crowd. 

Tahsin Ali put Bangladesh ahead in the 22nd minute by a field goal (1-0)  while Zahid Hossain scored the 2nd goal for Bangladesh just two minutes later (2-0).

Forward Rakibul Hasan Rocky of Bangladesh was adjudged the best player of the match.

Earlier, Bangladesh have been placed in Group B with Malaysia, South Korea, hosts Oman and Uzbekistan while Group A team comprises India, Pakistan, Japan,  Chinese Taipei and Thailand.

Top three teams of this tournament, apart from Malaysia, which already qualified as the host, will qualify for the FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup '2023.

In the remaining group B matches, Bangladesh will play Uzbekistan on May 26 and South Korea on May 28.

Earlier, the top five teams --India, Pakistan, Japan, Korea and Malaysia --got an automatic qualification for the final round based on their world rankings. 

Five other countries --Bangladesh, Oman, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei--have qualified for  the 10- team final round after playing in the qualifying round of the  Men’s Junior AHF Cup held in Muscat, Oman last January.