Nine-goal nightmare: Is Indonesia thrashing Bangladesh’s biggest-ever defeat?
Bangladesh’s bruising 9-2 thrashing at the hands of Indonesia in Jakarta on Thursday was more than just a heavy loss to close out their FIFA ASEAN Cup group stage; it was a sobering display of the yawning chasm separating the men in red and green from the upper echelons of regional football.
It was one-way traffic as Indonesia, ranked 118th in the world, thumped 181st-ranked Bangladesh 9-2 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
Bangladesh had consistently stressed that the tournament was primarily preparation for the SAFF Championship at home in November. But the campaign ended with three defeats, 13 goals conceded and just two scored -- a stark return from a tournament billed as the most prestigious Bangladesh have played in during the modern era.
After the 9-2 defeat, the immediate question was whether Bangladesh had suffered their biggest defeat by margin. Many struggled to remember a heavier loss.
And they were right to look back, way back.
The seven-goal margin was not Bangladesh’s worst, though the nine goals conceded were the joint-most ever shipped by the men in red and green. That unwanted record remains the 9-0 defeats to South Korea (1979 friendly tournament in South Korea) and Iran (1982 friendly tournament in Pakistan).
A 9-1 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong in the 1975 Mardeka Cup slots in at second. Defeats by 8-0 margins in World Cup qualifiers to Japan (in 1993) and Jordan (in 2016) rank third, while the Indonesia defeat now ranks fifth.
Biggest defeats in Bangladesh football history:
0-9 South Korea (1979 friendly tournament in Korea)
0-9 Iran (1982 friendly tournament in Pakistan)
1-9 Hong Kong (1975 Mardeka Cup)
0-8 Japan (World Cup qualifier, 1993)
0-8 Jordan (World Cup qualifier, 2016)
2-9 Indonesia (FIFA ASEAN Cup, 2026)
0-7 Iran (Asian Cup, 1980)
0-7 UAE (World Cup qualifier, 1993)
0-7 Australia (World Cup qualifier, 2023)
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