Bangladesh Under-23 side crashed out of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup conceding a 1-0 defeat against Cambodia in their last group game at the Bangabandhu National stadium yesterday.
The loss however, played little part in the elimination as the hosts’ fate was sealed earlier in the day when Maldives and Bahrain played out a 1-1 draw.
Maldives finished as Group B champions with seven points while Bahrain progressed with five points.
Rubel Mia, who was handed a place in the home side’s line-up, impressed from the flanks while Yusuf Sifat and Aminur Rahman Sojib also exhibited glimpses of attacking hope, but all attempts fell short to midfielder Dina Tit’s strike in the 71st minute as Cambodia’s first win in the tournament left the hosts with only one point in the bag.
The story could have gone the other way had Sojib not struck the side-post in the 62nd minute.
Earlier on the day, the slow tempo of the match between Bahrain and Maldives made it a dull affair as none made a move to win the battle.
However, the draw was enough to see Bahrain through to the next stage.
With the semifinal already secured, Maldives coach Turki Sanad fielded six debutants, thus enabling their comparatively weaker opponents to steal a point from the encounter.
Imaaz Ahmed put the Red Snappers ahead in the 18th minute before Bahrain forward Anwar Ali equalised in the 58th minute with a top-corner header past the onrushing Maldives goalkeeper Faisal Mohammed.
