AFCArad (Uzbekistan)Qatar and Bangladesh registered crucial wins in their bid to qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023 on Monday.Bangladesh edged Bhutan 2-1 to move to four points while Qatar kicked off their Group B qualifying campaign with a 3-1 defeat of Nepal. Nepal matched Qatar in the initial stages but came undone in the 30th minute with defender Mohammed Mansour Ali opening the scoring for the West Asian side.Nepal, defeated 2-0 by Bhutan in their opener, fell further behind just before half-time with another defender, Mohamed Surag scoring Qatar’s second.Qatar’s third was scored Rashid Abdulaziz Al Abdulla in the 60th minute with Nepal getting a consolation when Qatar captain Jassem Mohammed Alsharshani put the ball into his own net in the 76th minute. Bhutan 1-2 BangladeshBangladesh opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with forward Piash Nova finding the back of the net.Bhutan, however, fought back to draw level through substitute Santa Kumar Limboo in the 59th minute.The goal forced Bangladesh – who played to a 0-0 draw with group hosts Bahrain on Saturday - to up their tempo and Bijon Barua’s side were rewarded for their ambition with substitute Ashraful Haque Asif scoring the winner two minutes from the fulltime whistle.Both sides will next face Qatar, with Bhutan playing the West Asian side on Wednesday and Bangladesh two days later.
