Dhaka, June 10 -- Bangladesh have been unable to capitalise on home advantage as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Singapore in the third round of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers despite a spirited second-half display.

Egged on by a boisterous home crowd that gathered long before kick-off at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday, Javier Cabrera's men struggled to live up to expectations.

After going two goals down, Rakib Hossain pulled one back midway through the second half, but Bangladesh failed to find an equaliser.

The match began in electric fashion, with fans lighting up smoke flares and cheering loudly as the teams took to the pitch. Yet the intensity off the pitch was not matched on it in the opening half, as the Bengal Tigers l...