Dhaka, Aug. 10 -- It wasn't the way they pictured it, but Bangladesh's under-20 women will take it. A few hours after being thumped 6-1 by South Korea, they were celebrating history - a first-ever spot in the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup finals.

The news came from miles away. Lebanon's 8-0 collapse against China meant Bangladesh finished among the three best runners-up across the eight qualifying groups. That was enough to punch their ticket to Thailand next April.

Earlier in the day, the script had looked more straightforward. A draw against Korea in Vientiane would have made them group winners. Trishna Rani even put them in front on 15 minutes, latching on to Shanti Mardi's pass. But the lead lasted only five minutes. Once the Koreans p...