Bangladesh 'B' 1-2 Zimbabwe

The second-string Bangladesh football team completed their Merdeka Cup campaign with a 2-1 defeat against Zimbabwe at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Bangladesh will return home today with empty-handed as they lost their two previous group matches against Indonesia 1-0 and against Singapore 2-1.

Zimbabwe, who brought their select team, took a 1-0 lead in the first half with a 36th minute strike and then doubled the margin in the 57th minute following a Bangladeshi defense lapse, according to a message received here from the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

Bangladesh pulled back a goal with three minutes to go before the final whistle when striker Saifur Rahman Moni headed home a Sharif ball.

Meanwhile, the senior side returned home yesterday after a disappointing performance in the Nehru Cup in India where they suffered a 0-2 defeat to top-ranked Syria, 0-1 defeat to hosts India and 0-3 defeat to Kyrgyztan and managed only a 1-1 draw with Cambodia.