United News of Bangladesh

Bayern Munich continued their relentless form in the Bundesliga, defeating ten-man Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 on Saturday to set a new league record for most goals scored in the opening eight matches of a season. The reigning champions have now won all eight of their Bundesliga fixtures, scoring 30 goals in the process — the highest tally ever recorded at this stage. With 24 points, Bayern remain firmly at the top of the table, five points clear of second-placed RB Leipzig. Gladbach’s woes deepened early when midfielder Jens Castrop was shown a straight red card in the 19th minute for a reckless challenge on Luis Díaz. Despite their numerical advantage, Bayern found it difficult to break down the hosts’ defense in the first half and went into the interval goalless. After the restart, the visitors increased their intensity. Michael Olise missed two clear chances around the 50th minute, and Harry Kane briefly thought he had given Bayern the lead before his effort was ruled offside. The breakthrough finally came in the 64th minute when Joshua Kimmich calmly finished from the edge of the box to put Bayern ahead. Five minutes later, Raphaël Guerreiro doubled the lead, timing his run perfectly to meet a through ball from Olise and slotting home with composure. Seventeen-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl added a third in the 80th minute with his first senior goal, sealing another dominant victory for the Bavarians. The result extended Bayern’s perfect record across all competitions this season. Germany’s most successful club have now played 13 matches in total — and won every single one of them.

Nearing the twilight of their legendary careers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the two GOATs of football, continue to rewrite history, keeping their fans enthralled around the world. Last night Ronaldo became the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifiers. Messi didn’t take much time to appear on the headlines, breaking the record for most assists in international football. Messi had missed Argentina’s earlier match against Venezuela, instead featuring for Inter Miami in their Major League Soccer clash with Atlanta United. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner returned on Tuesday night against Puerto Rico, inspiring Argentina to a resounding 6–0 victory. The Argentine captain provided two brilliant assists, taking his international tally to 60 assists, the highest ever in men’s international football, surpassing his former Barcelona and PSG teammate Neymar’s record of 59. With this feat, Messi also edges closer to another milestone— 400 career assists across all competitions. Not only is Messi first in assists, he is also second in all time international goals (114), just behind Cristiano Ronaldo (143). In addition to leading the world in assists, Messi now stands second in all-time international goals (114), just behind Ronaldo’s 143. This rare combination of scoring and creating underlines what makes Messi a complete player—an embodiment of both brilliance and balance. Earlier on Tuesday, Ronaldo became the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifying history with 40 goals. He even extended his own record by scoring again against Hungary. However, the Al Nassr forward ended the match in frustration, as Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time equaliser denied Portugal an early ticket to the World Cup. A draw against Ireland in November would be enough for Portugal to heave a sigh of relief, as they remain top of Group F with 10 points from four matches, followed by Hungary on five. Ireland climbed to third with four points after beating 10-man Armenia 1–0, who stay bottom with three. Meanwhile, Argentina have already booked their place topping the CONMEBOL standings, continuing their dominant run in South America’s qualifiers.

Portugal were denied an early ticket to the World Cup after Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time goal earned Hungary a 2–2 draw in their Group F qualifier in Lisbon on Tuesday, despite another record-setting night for Cristiano Ronaldo. Attila Szalai gave Hungary the lead early on, but Ronaldo struck twice before halftime to put Portugal in front. However, Szoboszlai slid in at the far post in added time to snatch a dramatic point for the visitors. Ronaldo’s first goal made him the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifying history with 40 goals, one ahead of Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz. The Portuguese captain now boasts 143 international goals in 225 appearances — both world records. Portugal dominated the opening stages, with Ronaldo missing narrowly in the fifth minute before Diogo Costa denied Roland Sallai. From the ensuing corner, Szalai headed home to give Hungary a surprise lead. Bangladesh’s Asia Cup dream almost over with 1-1 draw against Hong Kong Ronaldo equalised in the 22nd minute, converting Nélson Semedo’s low cross, and headed in again in first-half stoppage time from Nuno Mendes’ delivery to make it 2–1 at the break. After halftime, Portugal squandered several chances to seal victory. Semedo’s shot was kept out, while Rúben Dias and Bruno Fernandes were both denied by the woodwork and the goalkeeper. Substitute João Félix also went close with a header. Hungary continued to press late on, and Szoboszlai’s last-minute finish from Dániel Lukács’s cross ensured a share of the spoils. Portugal remain top of Group F with 10 points from four matches, followed by Hungary on five. Ireland climbed to third with four points after beating 10-man Armenia 1–0, who stay bottom with three. Messi scores twice, assists once as Inter Miami crush Atlanta United 4-0 In Group I, Italy secured at least second place with a 3–0 win over Israel, taking their tally to 15 points from six games — three behind leaders Norway, who have a perfect 18 points and a +26 goal difference compared to Italy’s +10. Gennaro Gattuso’s side must win big in their final match to overtake them.

The counting of donations at Pagla Masjid, a 250-year-old mosque in Kishoreganj, has shattered all previous records. With some sacks still left, by 7:30pm on Saturday night, the total count had already crossed Tk 7.38 crore (7 crore 38 lakh). The previous highest on record, in December 2023, had been Tk 6.32 crore, from 23 sacks of the 9 donation boxes of the mosque.  This time the 9 boxes yielded 27 sackloads of cash, apart from stones including gold jewellery, some foreign currency, and assorted items, which escape valuation.  Read more: Amid support and challenges, mosque for hijra community opens in Mymensingh Shaukat Hossain, administrative officer of the mosque, confirmed the matter to the UNB correspondent. “According to the latest information, after counting till 8:30 tonight, we already have a new record for the highest money received in the history of Pagla Masjid,” Hossain said.  He added that the mosque authorities are anticipating the count may even cross the Tk 8 crore mark this time around.  Read more: Top 10 Historical Mosques in Bangladesh

Guinness World Records declared on Monday that Pepper X has won the title of world's “hottest chilli pepper”.According to testing conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina, this new pepper averages 2.69 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), surpassing the previous record-holder, Carolina Reaper, which averages 1.64 million SHU, according to Guinness World Records, reports CNN. Also read: Dhaka Clean-up Campaign hits Guinness World RecordAmerican scientist Wilbur Scoville created the SHU scale to gauge the spiciness of chilli peppers in 1912, it said.According to Guinness, the typical jalapeno pepper has a SHU rating between 3,000 and 8,000. Also read: 64- year-old FF sets Guinness World Record swimming 186 kmsEd Currie, the owner of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company in South Carolina, cultivates Pepper X. The Carolina Reaper, which broke the record in 2013, was also a creation of his, the report said.“Ed cultivated Pepper X on his farm for over 10 years, cross-breeding it with some of his hottest peppers to increase its capsaicin content,” Guinness said on its website. Also read: Thakurgaon youth jumps rope to enter Guinness BookCurrie unveiled Pepper X to the public for the first time on an episode of the popular YouTube series, “Hot Ones.”There is currently no information on how a pepper that has 1 million more Scoville units than the Reaper will be characterised.

The Afghanistan team will return on July 1 for the ODI series, consisting of three matches. The series will begin on July 5, and the other two matches will be held on July 8 and July 11 at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. All the matches will start at 2 pm Bangladesh time. Although Bangladesh has not faced so many matches against Afghanistan, this series will play a vital role in preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup. Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head ODI Records So Far Table: BAN vs AFG head-to head ODI Match records todate Matches Competition Year Winner Score Match 1 Asia Cup 2014 Afghanistan won by 32 runs AFG: 254/6; BAN: 222/10 Match 2 ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Bangladesh won by 105 runs BAN: 267/10 AFG: 162/10 Match 3 Afghanistan in Bangladesh ODI Series 2016 Bangladesh won by 7 runs BAN: 265/10 AFG: 258/10 Match 4 Afghanistan in Bangladesh ODI Series 2016 Afghanistan won by 2 wickets BAN: 208/10 AFG: 212/8 Match 5 Afghanistan in Bangladesh ODI Series 2016 Bangladesh won by 141 runs BAN: 279/8 AFG: 138/10 Match 6 Asia Cup 2018 Afghanistan won by 136 runs AFG: 255/7 BAN: 119/10 Match 7 Asia Cup 2018 Bangladesh won by 3 runs BAN: 249/7 AFG: 246/7 Match 8 ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Bangladesh won by 62 runs BAN: 262/7 AFG: 200/10 Match 9 Afghanistan in Bangladesh ODI Series 2022 Bangladesh won by 4 wickets  AFG: 215/10 BAN: 219/6 Match 10 Afghanistan in Bangladesh ODI Series 2022 Bangladesh won by 88 runs BAN: 306/4 AFG: 218/10 Match 11 Afghanistan in Bangladesh ODI Series 2022 Afghanistan won by 7 wickets BAN: 192/10 AGF: 193/3 Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Bangladesh T20 Squad Analysis Bangladesh and Afghanistan have played a total of 11 ODI matches against each other. Out of these 11 matches, Bangladesh has won 7 of them, which means they have won about 64% of the matches. On the other hand, Afghanistan has won 4 matches, which is about 36% of the total. So, based on their past ODI encounters, Bangladesh has been more successful than Afghanistan. The first time Bangladesh and Afghanistan faced each other in a one-day international (ODI) match was on March 1, 2014, during the Asia Cup. The most recent ODI match between the two teams happened on February 28, 2022. So far, Bangladesh has met Afghanistan three times in the Asian Cup, in 2014 and 2018. In these three matches, Bangladesh won only once in the 2014 super four round. Further, they met twice in the ICC Cricket World Cup, and Bangladesh won both matches. Apart from these competitive events, both countries faced each other in two bilateral ODI series in 2016 and 2022. However, Bangladesh won both series by 2-1. Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Bangladesh ODI Squad Analysis BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2016 In the first match of the 2016 series, Bangladesh emerged victorious, winning by 7 runs. Bangladesh set a target of 265 runs, and Afghanistan came close with a score of 258 runs but fell short. The second match saw Afghanistan turn the tables, winning by 2 wickets. Bangladesh scored 208 runs, but Afghanistan chased it down, scoring 212 runs with just 2 wickets remaining. However, Bangladesh came back strongly in the third match, winning by a massive margin of 141 runs. Bangladesh scored a total of 279 runs, and Afghanistan could only manage 138 runs in response. Overall, the series showcased some thrilling encounters and competitive performances from both teams. BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2022 In the first match, Bangladesh won by 4 wickets. Afghanistan scored 215 runs in 10 wickets, but Bangladesh did a good job and reached 219 runs with 4 wickets remaining. The second match was dominated by Bangladesh, who won by a big margin of 88 runs. Bangladesh scored a high total of 306 runs, and Afghanistan could only manage to score 218 runs. However, Afghanistan fought back and won the third match by 7 wickets. Bangladesh had a hard time scoring and was all out for 192 runs, while Afghanistan easily scored 193 runs with 7 wickets left. In the end, Bangladesh won the series by winning two out of the three matches. Both teams played well and showed good competition. BAN vs AFG ODI Series 2023: Who is the Favourite to Win? Bangladesh have already become a favorite by winning the Test match against the Afghans. Apart from this, Bangladesh’s win in the last two series against Ireland also makes it positive about winning against Afghanistan. Considering their past performances, Bangladesh seems to have a winning probability in the upcoming ODI series in 2023. However, cricket is a sport where anything can happen, and Afghanistan has proven to be a strong opponent. Furthermore, Bangladesh’s star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan and Afghanistan’s star player Rashid Khan are back in their teams. They were absent from the Test match. As these two players can change the momentum at any time, anything can happen. So, it will be an exciting and closely contested series between the two teams. Read more: Najmul Hossain Shanto: A Rising Star in Bangladeshi Cricket Final Words Although Bangladesh blew away the Afghans in the only Test match, it will not be easy to win the ODI matches. Bangladesh won the Test match by a record margin of 546 runs. Rashid Khan is returning to the squad, and both teams are close in terms of strength in ODI. The Afghans will come back refreshed after a break, and the loss in the Test match will surely influence them to take revenge. So, after the upcoming ODI series, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan head-to-head record will surely change significantly.

In the second ODI against Ireland on Monday (March 20, 2023), Mushfiqur Rahim set a record-breaking milestone for himself while helping Bangladesh earn their record total run in ODI. Mushfiq scored a hundred from 60 balls, making him the owner of the fastest century ODI by a Bangladeshi batter. Mushfiq Broke Shakib's 63-Ball Fastest Century Record After having a great performance in the first ODI, Mushfiq continued this in the second match too. Mushfiqur achieved the remarkable feat of 7000 runs in ODI in the second game of the three-match ODI series against Ireland. He took the 9th century of his ODI career from 60 balls with one run in the last ball of Bangladesh's innings. Earlier in this edition, Mushfiqur's last century was against Sri Lanka in Mirpur in May 2021. Mushfiqur started the second ODI with 6945 runs in 228 innings in 243 matches. He just needed 55 runs to reach the 7000 runs milestone. While he was on 52 off 34 balls, Mushfiqur hit 7,000 runs after hitting Curtis Kampfer on his knees for a four over mid-off. With that four, he met this milestone in the 229th inning in 244 matches. Read More: Bangladesh Make Two Changes to Squad for Third ODI Against Ireland On his way to a half-century from 33 balls, Mushfiqur scored 32 runs on the boundary, and he hit 5 fours and 2 sixes. However, Mushfiqur had previously scored fifty from 32 balls against Pakistan in the 2014 Asia Cup, which was the highest strike rate in his ODI career.

A record number of 5,891 Bangladesh workers went to South Korea, a "popular, preferred" destination for them, in 2022. The "low and medium" skilled workers from Bangladesh were taken by the East Asian country last year through its Employment Permit System (EPS) programme, according to the Embassy of South Korea in Bangladesh. After almost one and a half years of suspension of admitting foreign EPS workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the South Korean government resumed taking them in December 2021. From 2008 to 2022, 28,697 Bangladesh workers were taken by South Korea through the EPS and it is expected that around 100 to 120 workers are to be taken by South Korea every week this year. REad: Bangladesh gets $10.49 billion inward remittances in July-December: Central Bank The East Asian country is a popular destination for Bangladeshi expats as they can earn a minimum of $1,420 monthly, the legally guaranteed minimum wage of South Korea, the Korean mission in Bangladesh said Monday.

Lionel Messi played in front of 88,966 spectators on Saturday when Argentina beat Mexico 2-0, the largest attendance at a World Cup match in 28 years. The Lusail Stadium north of Doha, which will stage the final on Dec. 18, hosted the most people at the World Cup since the 1994 final in the United States, according to FIFA. There were 91,194 people at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to see Brazil beat Italy in that penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw. Read More: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Will Brazil’s Samba dance continue without Neymar? Saturday’s attendance was several hundred more than the figure for the two previous games at Lusail Stadium, when Brazil beat Serbia and Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. Qatar’s attendance figures do not rank in the top 30 of all-time World Cup matches. The largest crowd was 173,850 inside the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 for Uruguay’s 2-1 victory over host Brazil in the final game of that tournament. Read More: Despite not knowing where he'll play beyond Qatar, Ronaldo eyes glory in possibly his last World Cup Other stadiums figuring in the top-30 list are the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Wembley Stadium in London and the Camp Nou in Barcelona. However, Saturday's Messi-led Argentina vs Mexico contest in the Qatar World Cup attracted 88,966 spectators, which was the largest in the past three decades.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to score at five World Cups with a goal for Portugal against Ghana on Thursday. The 37-year-old striker converted a penalty in the 65th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead. He has now scored in every World Cup since his first in 2006, when he converted a penalty against Iran in the group stage. Ronaldo scored one goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, another at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, and four in Russia in 2018. Read: Portugal beat Ghana in five-goal thriller Ronaldo extended his men’s record tally of international goals to 118. Brazil forward Marta has scored in five Women’s World Cups.