BD hold Pak to seal semis berth

Bangladesh moved into the semifinals of the Asian Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers after a 12-2 win over Chinese Taipei followed by a 3-3 draw against Pakistan yesterday.

The young men in red and green, who started their campaign with two wins before conceding defeat against Malaysia on Wednesday and Thursday, rode on five goals from Samundo Prince to beat Taipei convincingly in Bangkok to keep their hopes of a semifinal berth alive. Shohanur Rahman Sabuj, Sarowar Shawon and Mahmudul Alam scored two apiece while Mohammad Uddin scored the other for Bangladesh in the one-way affair.

It proved to be a much tougher encounter against defending champions Pakistan though, as Bangladesh fought back from two goals down to hold them to a 3-3 draw. Sobuj scored two goals in this match, including one in the last minute, while Mohammad Uddin scored the other for Gobinathan Krishnamurthy's charges.

The draw meant Bangladesh pipped Pakistan to second position in Pool B, behind pool champions Malaysia.

Bangladesh will take on Pool A champions India while Malaysia will play against Pool B runners-up Korea in the two semifinals today.