By Sachit Subba • Football • Nov 13, 2025 16:45 PM • 24 views
Dhaka, Bangladesh — For nearly half an hour, Bangladesh looked sluggish, struggling to find rhythm or urgency. Jamal Bhuyan and Rakib Hossain were yet to shake off the inertia, while Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury remained tightly marked. Trailing 0-1 at halftime, the hosts needed inspiration — and it came from none other than their new “Magic Man.” But Bangladesh’s long-standing defensive woes resurfaced at the worst possible time. Despite Hamza’s brilliance, the home side conceded a late goal, settling for a frustrating 2–2 draw against Nepal in Thursday’s FIFA International Friendly at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Hamza struck twice in quick succession to overturn Nepal’s lead, but a defensive lapse in added time saw Fortis FC defender Ananta Tamang snatch a point for the visitors. Earlier, Nepal’s experienced midfielder Rohit Chand had opened the scoring, while Hamza’s heroics had briefly had Bangladesh dreaming of victory. This brace takes Hamza Choudhury’s international tally to four goals. The Leicester City midfielder, who made his debut earlier this year, had previously found the net against Bhutan, Hong Kong, and China.
How It Happened
Bangladesh had a chance to take the lead in the 10th minute when Jamal Bhuyan lofted a precise ball to Fahim, who crossed towards Sohel Rana Jr. — but the striker failed to make contact. In the 26th minute, Fahim hesitated between passing and shooting, allowing Nepalese goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu to easily parry his effort. Nepal capitalised on Bangladesh’s indecision. In the 29th minute, Sumit Shrestha’s clever back-pass found Rohit Chand inside the box, who smashed home a powerful left-footed strike to give Nepal a 1–0 advantage. Bangladesh responded with urgency after the break. Within the first three minutes of the second half, Hamza Choudhury turned the game on its head. In the 46th minute, Jamal Bhuyan’s deflected header reached Hamza, who executed a stunning overhead kick to equalise. Just moments later, Rakib Hossain was fouled inside the box, and Hamza coolly converted the resulting penalty to make it 2–1. As the game wore on, debutant Kuba Mitchell replaced Hamza in the 80th minute, and Bangladesh appeared to have control. Yet, their familiar frailty in closing out matches returned to haunt them. In stoppage time, Nepal earned a corner, and Ananta Tamang rose highest to nod home, silencing the Dhaka crowd. The final whistle blew with the score locked at 2–2 — a result that felt more like a defeat for the hosts.
A Familiar Story
Bangladesh last beat Nepal on home soil on November 13, 2020, with a 2–0 win. Since then, in five encounters, victory has remained elusive. Thursday’s draw was another reminder that while Bangladesh has found moments of brilliance in players like Hamza, their inability to defend leads continues to cost them dearly. On a night when Hamza Choudhury could have written a fairytale comeback story for Bangladesh football, the ending was instead one of déjà vu — a tale of promise undone by late heartbreak.
