Bangladesh continued their winning run at FIFA’s inaugural U-15 World Cup and Festival, beating Singapore 4-3 on penalties to reach the quarterfinals in Tier E in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. thedailystar.net

The last 16 fixture at the Hovsan Competition Complex ended 1-1 after regulation time before Bangladesh prevailed in the shootout to secure a place in the last eight.

Earlier in the day, Akbar Hossain Ridon’s side had also needed penalties to overcome Seychelles in the last 32. After a 1-1 draw, Bangladesh won the shootout 4-2.

Bangladesh will face Montenegro in the quarterfinals. Montenegro also advanced through two penalty shootouts, beating Mongolia in the last 32 and Hong Kong in the last 16.

The inaugural FIFA tournament features youth teams from 191 countries. Each side can field eight players, with matches played over two 20-minute halves on pitches measuring 68 metres by 48 metres.

Bangladesh began the competition in Group G alongside Portugal, Indonesia, Fiji, Burundi and Wales. They beat Fiji 3-1 in their final group match but drew against Indonesia and Wales and lost to Portugal and Burundi.

Their victories over Seychelles and Singapore mean Bangladesh have now won three of their seven matches in the tournament.