Amirul finishes as top goal scorer in Hockey Junior WC

Bangladesh's young hockey sensation Amirul Islam finished the top goal scorer FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup with a sensational 18 goals to his name. 

Earlier, Bangladesh won the challenger trophy of FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup beating Austria by 5-4 goals in the place-deciding match (17th, 18th) on Monday last.

The star of Bangladesh in this Junior World Cup, Amirul Islam, produced another grand show to help his team clinch the Challenger Trophy with 5-4 win over Austria in the 17/18 position playoff.

A hat-trick from tournament top-scorer Amirul Islam, and goals from Hozifa Hossain and Rakibul Hasan helped Bangladesh beat their opponent to 17th in the final rankings.

A goal off a penalty corner for the drag-flick star Amirul and two penalty-stroke conversions put him firmly on top of the goal-scorer's list with 18 goals - as Amirul, Hozifa Hussain and Rakibul Hasan ensured Bangladesh went ahead 3-0 by the 35thminute.

This marks Bangladesh's first-ever participation in a global hockey event, and the team exceeded all expectations. 

Bangladesh star Amirul Islam, known for his explosive penalty corner skills, recorded an incredible 5 hat-tricks in 6 matches, becoming the highest goal scorer of the tournament with 18 goals. His only hat-trick miss came in the match against France. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday congratulated the Bangladesh youth hockey team after lifting the Challenger division of the Youth Hockey World Cup, calling it a source of pride for the nation. In a congratulatory message, Prof Yunus said the players' success had uplifted the country and reflected their hard work, discipline, team unity and indomitable spirit.

He noted that the team's performance had further strengthened Bangladesh's presence on the international sporting stage. The Chief Adviser also credited the collective efforts of the players, the dedication of the coaching staff and the support of all concerned for making the triumph possible.

Prof Yunus expressed hope that the victory would open a new chapter to flourish the county's hockey.

Maintaining the momentum of progress and excellence, he added, would create greater opportunities for the youth to achieve even bigger successes in the future.

Bangladesh U-21 hockey team will returned home on Thursday afternoon after participating in the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup now being held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

A US Bangla flight carrying the hockey team is expected to land at Shahjalal International Airport at 5 pm.

In the group phase, Bangladesh suffered a fighting 5-3 goals defeat to strong Australia in their opening group match, riding on Aminul Islam's magnificent hat-trick. They also came from behind to hold South Korea to a 3-3 draw in their group second match. 

The boys and red and green again put up a brave performance conceding 3-2 defeat to reigning runners-up France in their third and ultimate group match.

They opened the 17-24th place decider phase with a commanding 13-0 win over Oman, their first-ever Junior World Cup victory, before an impressive 5-3 triumph over South Korea.