Rakibul Hasan smashed a hat-trick as Bangladesh Air Force tasted their maiden title of the Victory Day Hockey tournament with a 5-4 win in the final over four-time champions Bangladesh Navy at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium on Monday.聽
Rakibul opened the account in the very fourth minute of the game with a field goal before Obaidul Hasan Joy made it 2-0 with a reverse hit in the 11th minute for the winners.聽
Navy, who lifted the title of this tournament in the last four editions in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020, returned to the game in the 17th minute with Ashraful Islam scoring from a penalty corner to become the tournament鈥檚 top scorer with 11 goals.聽
Air Force went to halftime with a 2-1 lead before Mehrab Hasan Samin gave Air Force a two-goal cushion with a field goal in the 31st minute.
Mainul Islam Koushik and Farhad Ahmed Shitul brought Navy back into the contest by scoring two field goals and making it 3-3 in the 37th and 47th minutes, respectively.聽
Rakibul put Air Force in front again by scoring his second field goal in the 49th minute.
Navy were reduced to 10-man just two minutes later as Shitul was shown a straight red card for his foul on opponent team midfielder Tahsin Ali.聽
Rakibul completed his hat-trick by scoring from another field goal in the 57th minute before Rashel Mahmud Jimmy pulled another goal back for Navy with a field goal in the final minute of the game.聽
Earlier, Air Force stormed into the final after a 5-2 win over BKSP in the semi-final while Navy beat Hockey Players Welfare Unity 4-1 in the first semi-final. Both the semi-finals were held at the same venue on Saturday.聽
Bangladesh Hockey Federation president and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan distributed the prizes among the finalists as the chief guest.聽