Bhutan clinch first international trophy

It was Bhutan's first international trophy at the expense of Bangladesh.

In a nerve-racking final, Bhutan came from behind late into the match to secure a memorable victory in the Maldives. The match was watched by thousands of Bhutanese supporters back home, reports The Bhutan Live.

During the thrilling clash, Bhutan hit the ground running, opening the scoring in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Bhutan’s speed and well-executed passes helped them secure a 10-point lead. Bhutan maintained their dominance in the third quarter, controlling the game’s tempo at both ends of the court, the news portal reported.

Bangladesh stepped up their offensive game in the fourth quarter, capitalising on turnovers and exploiting Bhutan’s foul troubles.

With 21 seconds remaining, Bhutan’s lead was cut down to one point.

Bangladesh then capitalised on a foul leading the game 60-59 with only 11 seconds remaining on the clock.

With time virtually over, Bhutan scored a decisive lay-up and a free throw with just a second left, sealing the victory by two points.

“It feels awesome, it feels wonderful. It is a feeling I cannot describe. I think I will take around a week to let this feeling sink in. We didn’t give up. Even in the dying seconds when they took the lead, we were saying we need to give it our all; this is a lifetime opportunity. So we didn’t give up. That’s the greatest thing about my team. We don’t give up easily. Easily, five to six years, the same team can go on. I think it is the start of something amazing,” Rinchen Dorji, Captain, told the news portal.