Sports Desk, Bangladesh Global: Raphael Markies scored a hat-trick including the winner as Hong Kong broke Bangladesh hearts with a thrilling 4-3 win in their third Group C match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday.
The defeat leaves Bangladesh's hopes of progressing in disarray, with two defeats and a draw meaning they have just one point so far. Hong Kong, meanwhile, moved to the top of the standings with seven points after Singapore and India played out a 1-1 draw.
In a match that swung like a pendulum, the hosts went 1-0 up early through a moment of Hamza Choudhury's brilliance but ended up squandering the lead not once, but twice, before conceding the winner in the final minute of stoppage time.
Hamza opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a stunning free-kick from a tight angle that sent the crowd into raptures. The Leicester City midfielder’s effort, possibly aided by a deflection, wrong-footed the keeper and gave Bangladesh the perfect start. The early lead, however, only masked the defensive frailties that would soon be laid bare.
Hong Kong levelled just before half-time when the hosts failed to clear a corner, allowing Everton Camargo to pounce from close range. The second half began in a similar fashion, with another defensive lapse gifting substitute Raphael Merkies (50th) an easy finish to make it 2-1.
The same player struck again in 15 minutes later after a simple cutback found him unmarked inside the box — a sequence that exposed Bangladesh’s shaky organisation at the back. With 3-1 down and seemingly beaten, Javier Cabrera’s men somehow clawed their way back into the contest.
Shekh Morsalin capitalised on a goalkeeping error in the 84th minute, before substitute Shamit Shome headed in an injury-time equaliser to send the stadium into delirium.
But the celebrations barely lasted two minutes. Straight from kick-off, Hong Kong surged forward unchallenged, and Merkies completed his hat-trick with a composed finish to seal a 4-3 victory and silence the home crowd.
Bangladesh had shown spirit and attacking intent, but once again, their defensive frailties proved fatal. Every goal they conceded came from individual mistakes or poor positioning — issues that have haunted them throughout the qualifiers.
Bangladesh will play their return-leg against Hong Kong at the Kai Tak Stadium on October 14. In the other two games, Bangladesh will play India at home on November 18 before taking on Singapore on March 31, 2026.
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