Bangladesh’s U-17 team went into the half-time break trailing 2-0 against China in a crucial AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifier in Peru. Entering the match with an unbeaten record of four wins from four games, a victory against the strong Chinese side was essential to maintain their position in the qualifiers. However, early mistakes proved costly against a disciplined opponent.
The match, held at the Tongliang Long Stadium, saw Bangladesh showing flashes of attacking intent, but defensive lapses and miscommunications proved decisive. In the eighth minute, a misjudged backpass from defender Kuang Zhaoli deflected off Ikramul’s foot and reached Chinese forward Shuai Weihau, who capitalised to give the hosts an early lead. Goalkeeper Alif Rahman had anticipated the low ball but was caught off balance.
Bangladesh responded in the 18th minute with Ihsan Habib Riduan breaking through midfield and entering the box, only for his powerful shot to be parried away by China’s goalkeeper Kin Jinyu. Again, in the 25th minute, Shuai Weihau nearly doubled the lead after evading several Bangladeshi defenders inside the box, but the effort narrowly missed the post.
The second goal came in the 38th minute following another defensive error. Kamal Mridha’s backpass to Alif Rahman was intercepted by Shuai Weihau, who slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0. With this cushion, China entered the break confidently, while Bangladesh faced an uphill battle in the second half.
Bangladesh will need to tighten their defence, improve ball control under pressure, and find more clinical finishing if they are to mount a comeback. Despite trailing, the young side has shown resilience in previous games, and the second half will be crucial for their chances of staying competitive in the qualifying tournament.