Bangladesh’s FIFA ASEAN Cup group-stage campaign ended in emphatic fashion as they suffered a heavy 9-2 defeat against hosts Indonesia. The result completed a miserable run for the side, who lost all three of their group matches under head coach Thomas Doli.
Bangladesh had already conceded four goals across their opening two matches before facing Indonesia in their final group fixture. They began the tournament with a 3-0 defeat to Malaysia and then went down 1-0 to Singapore despite showing a comparatively better performance.
With no points from those two matches, Bangladesh entered their final fixture hoping to finish the competition with a victory. The opening stages against Indonesia offered some encouragement, with the visitors initially appearing organised. That resistance, however, quickly faded as the hosts took control of the contest.
Indonesia opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Le Baker finished from a pass by Ole Romeny to put the hosts 1-0 ahead. Just nine minutes later, Le Baker struck again, doubling Indonesia’s advantage and placing Bangladesh under considerable pressure.
The hosts continued to find gaps in the Bangladesh defence. Twelve minutes after the second goal, Indonesia added a third, with Rizky Ridho providing the pass for the move that extended their lead to 3-0.
Bangladesh briefly gave themselves hope in the 36th minute. Shahriar Emon headed home from Suki’s cross to reduce the deficit to 3-1. It was a rare moment of relief for the Bangladesh side, but it lasted only a minute.
Le Baker completed his hat-trick in the 37th minute, restoring Indonesia’s three-goal advantage and making the score 4-1. Bangladesh struggled to contain the hosts as the first half entered its closing stages.
The pressure produced two more Indonesian goals before the interval. Le Baker scored his fourth of the match in the 42nd minute, before Habner added Indonesia’s sixth goal during stoppage time.
Bangladesh therefore went into the break 6-1 down. The first-half score reflected how quickly the match had moved beyond their control after a relatively composed opening.
Indonesia continued to dominate after the restart and added three more goals in the second half, while Bangladesh managed one further goal. The hosts eventually completed a 9-2 victory, giving Bangladesh one of their heaviest defeats in the competition.
The result also underlined the contrast between Bangladesh’s final match and their opening two fixtures. They had conceded three goals against Malaysia and one against Singapore, but the defensive problems became far more pronounced against Indonesia, with nine goals conceded in a single match.
Across the three group matches, Bangladesh scored only two goals while conceding 13. Shahriar Emon’s goal against Indonesia was one of the few positive moments in an otherwise difficult campaign.
The defeat means Bangladesh leave the tournament without a point after three consecutive losses. Their final match was particularly damaging, as Indonesia’s sustained attacking pressure and Le Baker’s four-goal contribution left little opportunity for a Bangladesh recovery.
For Thomas Doli’s team, the group-stage exit closes a campaign in which defensive resilience remained a major concern. The players now face the task of assessing the shortcomings exposed during the three matches and using those lessons in future international fixtures.
