Bangladesh suffered a crushing 0-7 goals defeat to mighty Australia during their opening Group I match of the joint qualifiers (round two) for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 at the AAMI Park in Melbourne today.
 
The men in red and green looked clueless throughout the game as the hosts, which are currently ranked 27th in the FIFA ranking, dominated over their 183rd-ranked opponent and clinched a massive win at the end.
 
Australian forward Jamie Maclaren, who came as a substitute in the second half, scored a hat-trick in the remaining 45 minutes after the hosts took a 4-0 lead in the first half courtesy of a brace from forward Mitchell Duke and one goal each from defender Harry Souttar and forward Brandon Borrello.
 
The scoreline could be 8-0 if midfielder Massimo Luongo could have converted a late penalty but Bangladesh goalkeeper Mitul Marma, who was at the receiving end for most of the time, made a brilliant save to deny Luongo’s shot.
 
The hosts took the lead in the fourth minute after Souttar scored a goal from a pass of forward Craig Goodwin before Borrello doubled the lead in the 20th minute.
 
Duke then netted two quick goals respectively in the 37th and 40th minute before they finished the first half with a 4-0 lead.
 
Australia made three substitutions in the second half and they took no time to score another when Maclaren scored in the 48th before he netted two more goals in the 70th and 84th minute respectively to confirm a massive win for the hosts.
 
This was also Bangladesh’s biggest defeat against Australia. They previously played two games during the 2018 Joint Qualifiers where they suffered a 0-5 goals defeat in Perth and a 0-4 goals defeat in Dhaka in 2015.
 
Before today’s game, Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan, who was also part of that team in 2015, claimed that the present team was far better than the previous one in terms of quality but the performance and result tell a different story.
 
Meanwhile, Australian coach Graham Arnold surpassed Frank Farina’s record for most 'A’ Internationals as men’s national team head coach (58) when he stepped into the technical area for the 59th occasion today.

BDST: 2008 HRS, NOV 16, 2023
MSK