Hosts Bangladesh made a flying start to their campaign in the Men’s IHF Trophy, thrashing Afghanistan 43-22 in their opening Under-20 Group B match at the Shaheed Captain M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium on Wednesday.
Bangladesh led 19-13 at halftime before producing an even stronger second-half display to seal a comprehensive 21-goal victory. Mohammad Rony Hasan starred for the home side with a match-high nine goals.
Bangladesh captain Ratul Uddin expressed satisfaction with the winning start, saying the team remained confident despite facing a physically taller Afghan side.
“We had not played Afghanistan before, but we believed we could win. I suffered a slight injury in the first half and was a bit concerned because a match can change within a few minutes. We had a similar experience against Kazakhstan in the past. This victory will give us confidence for the next match,” he said.
Earlier in the day, India opened their Under-20 campaign with a commanding 53-31 victory over Yemen in Group A. Shiva Kumar led the Indian attack with 11 goals.
Bangladesh will have no Under-20 fixture on Thursday. Nepal will face Yemen at 3:00 PM, while Afghanistan will take on Maldives at 5:00 PM.
The tournament began in the morning with Maldives defeating Afghanistan 38-21 in the Under-18 category. Mohammad Aflah Hossain scored eight goals for the winners. In another Under-18 match, India beat Nepal 49-27, with Pawan Kumar and Rohit Saxena netting eight goals each.
On Thursday, Nepal will play Afghanistan at 11:00 AM in the Under-18 competition, while Bangladesh will face Maldives at 1:00 PM.
The tournament was officially inaugurated by State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque.
A cultural programme featuring performers from Alif Squad followed the opening ceremony. Players, coaches, officials and managers from participating teams also took part in a parade carrying their national flags.
Among those present at the inauguration were Youth and Sports Secretary Mahbub Ul Alam, Bangladesh Handball Federation President Major General Abu Mohammad Sarwar Farid and Federation General Secretary Md Salahuddin Ahmed
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