Dhaka:  Bangladesh Under-19 Football team forced hosts Tajikistan u-19 side to play goalless draw in their opening Group B match of the AFC Under-19 Championship Qualifiers at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan on Tuesday.

With the day's feat, touring Bangladesh team stayed in the title race of the group securing one point from one match and will play the Maldives on Nov 2 at Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe, meet Uzbekistan on Nov 6 and Sri Lanka on Nov 8, both at Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan in the remaining group engagements.

The ten group champion teams along with the five best runners-up of the 10 Asian groups will earn the rights to play in the final round of the tournament.

Bangladesh team finished runners-up in the SAFF U-18 Championship securing equal points with champions Nepal in Bhutan this year in spite of beating giant India by 4-3 goals with a brilliant come back of 0-3 deficit.

Bangladesh national team never displayed a good show against Tajikistan. Bangladesh national senior team conceded 0-5 goals defeat in their away match against Tajikistan in the World Cup qualifiers after making 1-1 draw in home soil.

In the last year's Asian Cup qualifiers play-off, Bangladesh national team also conceded 0-5 goals defeat against Tajkistan in Dushanbe after suffering 0-1 defeat against them in Dhaka.

Earlier, the opening Group B match of the championship between two neighbors --the Maldives and Sri Lanka--ended in 2-2 draw at the same venue this afternoon to share one point each.

Rishwan Ismail (15th minute) and Musannif Mohammad (46th) scored for the Maldives while Mohammad Shabeer Razooniya (44th) and MN Malshana (92nd) netted one each the Sri Lanka.