Bangladesh U-18 hockey team suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat against China in their second Pool match of the Men’s U-18 Asia Cup at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan on Sunday, surrendering leads twice in the process.

The result leaves Bangladesh in a difficult position to qualify for the semifinals, as they now prepare for a crucial third and final pool match against Pakistan. All teams in the pool are currently level on three points after two matches.

Coming off a confident 4-2 victory over Malaysia in their opening game, Bangladesh started brightly. Munna Islam put the team ahead in the ninth minute, converting a penalty corner to give the red and green a deserved lead going into halftime.

However, Bangladesh surrendered their lead twice during the match. China equalised early in the third quarter when XUAN Bolang struck in the 31st minute.

Bangladesh regained the lead in the 41st minute through Akash Tuhin, finishing from open play. But the advantage lasted only two minutes as ZHANG Youwei restored parity for China in the 43rd minute.

China then sealed the win through LIAO Jiazhen, as Bangladesh failed to recover despite their earlier momentum. The same Chinese side had lost 5-2 to Bangladesh in the 2025 edition of the U-18 Asia Cup.