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Bangladesh women’s hockey team secured their first point at the Asian Games after fighting back from a two-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Kazakhstan on Friday.
The Pool A match at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium in Japan began brightly for Bangladesh, with Irene Ria scoring just 1 minute and 11 seconds into the game. No further goals were scored in the opening quarter as Bangladesh went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Kazakhstan levelled the score in the 21st minute through Lobanova Viktoria. The Kazakhs then took control after the interval, with Lobanova scoring her second goal in the 32nd minute.
She completed her hat-trick just three minutes later, putting Kazakhstan 3-1 ahead and leaving Bangladesh facing the prospect of another heavy defeat.
However, the Bangladesh side produced a spirited comeback. Kona Akter pulled one back in the 40th minute before Arpita Pal equalised early in the fourth quarter.
Both teams pushed for a winner in the closing stages, but neither could find the decisive goal as the match ended 3-3.
The draw came after a difficult start to Bangladesh’s women’s hockey campaign at the Asian Games. They opened with a 13-0 defeat to China, followed by a 3-1 loss to Malaysia and an 8-0 defeat to South Korea.
Bangladesh now have one point from four matches. China lead Pool A with three wins from as many games.
Bangladesh will play their next match against Chinese Taipei on Sunday.
