In a thrilling encounter, Bangladesh suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Hong Kong after conceding a last-minute goal at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Despite putting up a fierce fight against the stronger Hong Kong side, Javier Cabrera’s men fell just short in the dying moments.

Bangladesh took an early lead through a brilliant free kick from Hamza Chowdhury. His precise strike beat the Hong Kong goalkeeper, sending the home crowd into wild celebrations.

The men in red dominated much of the first half, giving Hong Kong little room to recover and even creating chances to extend their lead.

However, those missed opportunities proved costly. In the 49th minute, Bangladesh conceded from a corner when a misjudged header from Fahim redirected the ball into the danger zone. After a few deflections, a Hong Kong player capitalised to make it 1-1 before the halftime whistle.

Early in the second half, Hong Kong went ahead 2-1 through Raphael Marques, who continued to trouble the Bangladeshi defence.

In the 75th minute, Marques struck again, extending the visitors’ lead to 3-1. At that stage, it seemed Bangladesh were on course for another disappointing defeat.

However, substitutes Jamal Bhuiyan and Shamit Shome brought new life into the side after coming off the bench. Bangladesh began to attack with renewed intensity, and in the 84th minute, Sheikh Morsalin pulled one back to make it 3-2, reviving hopes of a comeback.

Then came a moment of pure joy for the home fans in the ninth minute of added time (99th minute) when Shamit Shome rose highest to head home from a corner, equalising at 3-3 and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

But heartbreak struck just moments later. With one minute left before the final whistle, a costly defensive error and a poor back pass from the Bangladesh defence allowed Marques to pounce again.

His shot slipped past goalkeeper Mitul Marma, completing his hat-trick and sealing a dramatic 4-3 victory for Hong Kong.

As the ball hit the net, Hamza Chowdhury fell to the ground in despair, tears welling in his eyes, while the once-roaring stadium fell silent.

It was a night of courage, drama and heartbreak that showed Bangladesh’s fighting spirit but ended in bitter disappointment.