Kabaddi's medal hopes dented by Japan defeat

Bangladesh men's kabaddi team's hopes of ending their Asian Games medal drought suffered a major setback as they went down 40-37 to Japan in their third Group A match in Japan on Tuesday.

Bangladesh needed a win against Japan to secure a semifinal berth and confirm at least a bronze medal, which would have been their first Asian Games medal from men's kabaddi in 20 years.

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Instead, the unexpected defeat leaves their semifinal hopes hanging in the balance. Bangladesh must now beat defending champions India in their final group match tomorrow to secure a place in the last four.

The defeat came after Bangladesh had made an impressive start to the competition, beating South Korea and Chinese Taipei in their first two matches yesterday. However, they struggled to maintain that momentum against Japan, who had earlier suffered a 24-49 defeat to India.

Bangladesh trailed 15-22 at half-time after a poor first-half display, allowing Japan to establish a seven-point advantage.

The men in red and green improved after the break, adding 22 points, but could not overturn the deficit. Japan also managed to inflict two all-outs on Bangladesh and collected nine bonus points during the match.