Bangladesh beat an African side for first time

Eleta Kingsley made his long-awaited debut as Bangladesh registered their first-ever victory against an African side when the men in red and green beat Seychelles 1-0 in a FIFA friendly at the Sylhet District Stadium on Saturday.

Bangladesh broke the deadlock just minutes before half-time when Jamal Bhuyan's freekick deflected off a Seychelles defender and fell kindly to Tariq Kazi, who headed it home.

Eleta, who started the game on the bench, came on in the second half and almost scored when he squandered a golden opportunity to double the score after being put through by Matin Miah. The striker had another chance to mark his debut with a goal but the keeper saved the effort in the dying minutes of the game.

Bangladesh's best result against an African side was a 1-1 draw against the same opposition in Mahinda Rajapaksa Cup four-nation International Cup in Sri Lanka in 2021. The three other African nation Bangladesh lost to are Sudan, Burundi, and Algeria XI.