Bangladesh鈥檚 hopes of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 were practically over following India鈥檚 loss to Singapore and Bangladesh鈥檚 draw against Hong Kong in their respective two Group C qualifying games on Tuesday.
Despite failing to qualify for the Asia Cup, Bangladesh can take away some positives from their qualifier campaign, as they fought hard in each game, forcing Hong Kong to play ultra-defensive for at least 20 minutes on Tuesday.
At the Kai Tak Stadium, captain Matthew Orr gave Hong Kong the lead in the 36th minute with a penalty before Rakib Hossain restored the parity six minutes from the stipulated time for Bangladesh.聽
On the other hand, Singapore earned a comeback win following a brace from midfielder Song Ui-young (44th, 58th) after midfielder Lallianzuala Chhangte (14th) gave India the lead.
As only the group champions from the 24-team qualifiers will advance to the final stage, both Bangladesh and India were out of the top place race after Tuesday鈥檚 outcome.
Even though Bangladesh and India both have two points from four games, the former is in third place in the table with a better goal difference.
Bangladesh earlier played a goalless draw away to India before losing to Singapore 2-1 and 4-3 against Hong Kong at home.
Spanish coach Javier Cabrera鈥檚 charges will host India on November 18 before facing Singapore away on March 31, 2026.聽
But neither Bangladesh nor India have any chances even if they win their remaining two games, as top-placed Hong Kong and second-placed Singapore have eight points each from their four outings. They also have two games to play.
Bangladesh鈥檚 fighting spirit was seen very much visible during their home game against Hong Kong as well. In the match, Bangladesh took the lead with Hamza Choudhury鈥檚 13th-minute free kick but went 3-1 down within the 75th.
They fought hard to make a comeback and tied the game 3-3 with goals from Shekh Morsalin (84th) and Shamit Shome in injury time, but the jubilation lasted only two minutes until hat-trick hero Raphael Merkies broke Bangladesh鈥檚 hearts with a last-gasp strike in the seven-goal thriller.
Bangladesh also made a comeback against Singapore as Rakib scored in the 67th minute after Song Ui-young (45th) and Ikhsan Ahmed (58th) scored once each for their side.
Despite widespread criticism of Cabrera鈥檚 team selections, which include never calling custodian Anisur Rahman Zico to the final squad since November 2024, there is no disputing that Bangladesh鈥檚 fighting spirit has matured since Leicester City midfielder Hamza began representing Bangladesh.
Hamza鈥檚 debut for Bangladesh against India in March of this year encouraged three other overseas players to join the team: Shamit Shom from Canada, Fahamedul Islam from Italy, and Zayyan Ahmed from the United States.
Their addition to the national squad brought the total number of foreign Bangladeshi players to six, including Jamal Bhuyan and Tariq Kazi from Denmark and Finland, respectively.