Bangladesh defeated Kyrgyzstan Olympic Team 1-0 in the opening match of the Three Nations Cup 2021 on Tuesday.

An own goal from Kumarbaj Uulu Baiaman in the 30th minute earned the victory for Bangladesh. Baiaman's attempt to clear the ball after a cross from Mohammad Saad Uddin went into the net. Kyrgyzstan's goalkeeper Tokotaev Erzhan got a hand to the ball but was unable to keep it out.

Bangladesh had few chances to their name but were unable to add a second. Kyrygyzstan were also unable to convert chances of their own. The best of the chances was in the added minutes of the game when an unmarked Tashiev Kamolidin headed the ball over the bar from a corner kick.

Bangladesh's head coach James Day said he was happy for the win but they need to improve against Nepal. "It was important to win and maintain the clean sheet. The second match between Nepal and Kyrgyzstan is going to determine our strategy but we need to play better against the host nation," said Day.

Kyrgyzstan's coach Zholdoshov Nurbek said it was a good learning experience for his young team. "It's good learning experience for my players to play against the national team. We grew in confidence in the second half and our performance improved but we have to work harder in our next match against Nepal," said Nurbek.

Bangladesh's Sohel Rana was declared the Man-of-the-Match and won a cash prize of 250 USD.

Nepal will take on Kyrgyzstan in the second match of the tournament on March 25 at Dasharath Stadium. Nepal's second match will be against Bangladesh on March 27 and the top two teams will play in the final on March 29.

This news was published on ANFA official website on 2021-03-23 and for original news link, click here