Under-23s notch first AFC win in six years

The Bangladesh U-23 football team recorded their first victory in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in six years, breaking a seven-match losing streak with an emphatic 4-1 win over Singapore in their final Group C encounter in Vietnam on Tuesday.

Since their 2-0 victory against Sri Lanka in the last group stage of the same competition in 2019, Bangladesh had endured five consecutive defeats across the 2021 and 2023 editions. They then suffered two more losses in the ongoing tournament, to hosts Vietnam and Yemen.

Hoping to progress from the group stage, the men in red and green ultimately had to settle for a consolation win -- but it was a well-deserved one. Captain Sheikh Morsalin delivered a standout performance, scoring once and providing three assists, all in the second half after a goalless opening period.

"We were carrying a lot of pain after losing the first two matches. Now we've been able to let that go with this win," Morsalin said in a video message shared by the Bangladesh Football Federation.

"I also want to apologise to the spectators because we came here with high hopes. However, we dedicate this win to our passionate supporters, and we aim to maintain this winning momentum in the days to come," added the Abahani midfielder. Morsalin expressed optimism that Bangladesh would one day qualify for the U-23 Asian Cup finals.

Despite his central role in the victory, Morsalin credited the entire squad for the result.

"All credit goes to my teammates. This would not have been possible without their support. Everyone gave their maximum effort -- it was a true team performance," he said.

Stand-in coach Hasan Al Mamun noted the team's improvement throughout the tournament and expressed hope that this group could produce players for the senior national team.

"There was clear progress throughout the qualifiers. We deserved to win against Yemen but, unfortunately, we couldn't get the result. Today, however, was a different story -- the substitutions made a real impact," said Al Mamun.

He added that this pool of players has the potential to contribute significantly to the senior national side in the future.