Bangladesh one win away from semis after Chinese Taipei thriller

Bangladesh moved to within one win of the men's kabaddi semifinals at the Asian Games after edging Chinese Taipei 48-47 in a nerve-wracking contest in Japan today.

The victory gave Bangladesh back-to-back wins and put them top of Group A. They now need just one win from their remaining two matches against Japan and India to reach the semifinals and secure at least a bronze medal, their first since the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

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Bangladesh came into the match on the back of a morale-boosting victory over strong South Korea, but also carrying the bitter memory of losing to Chinese Taipei at the last Asian Games.

They made a strong start and led 24-20 at half-time, but Chinese Taipei refused to give up. They fought back to level the match at 37-37, raising the prospect of a repeat of the 2023 defeat.

Bangladesh, however, held their nerve in the closing stages and managed to inflict an all-out on Chinese Taipei to regain the advantage.

The high-intensity contest went down to the wire, with Bangladesh eventually securing victory by a single point.

Bangladesh will face Japan tomorrow before taking on India on September 23.