At the break of their match for the SAFF Championship versus Maldives, which is taking place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru today, Bangladesh and Maldives are tied 1-1.
The players in red and green were down by one goal, but they were able to come back and score just in time to earn the required momentum moving into the second half. The players under Javier Cabrera’s direction had a higher percentage of possession of the ball and a higher number of shots on target than their competitors.
Maldives was pleased to play a reactive style, whereas Bangladesh operated on a positive note from the beginning of the match and focused on building up from the back of the field.
The guys playing in red and green had a few opportunities here and there, but the Maldives scored against the flow of play in the 17th minute to break the tie and take the lead.
Bangladesh’s defenders only have themselves to blame for the goal they conceded since they failed to shut down Maldives’ number 10 Hamza Mohamed. Hamza Mohamed masterfully curled a curler from beyond the box and struck the target at the far post’s bottom corner, leaving goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico defenseless. Bangladesh’s defenders have only themselves to blame for the goal they conceded.
After giving up a goal, Jamal Bhuiyan and his teammates rallied and increased their level of energy, and in the 42nd minute, they were rewarded for their efforts by scoring an equalizer.
After a quick throw-in, Sohel Rana made a cross from the left flank, and it was received by a running Tapu Barman inside the penalty area. Tapu sent the ball with his header toward the far post, where Rakib Hossain was waiting to capitalize with a bullet of a header from close range.
Bangladesh are in a vulnerable position once again in the SAFF Championship as any result other than a victory against Maldives would leave them on the verge of exiting the competition in the group stage for the sixth straight time. This comes after Bangladesh suffered a 2-0 loss to Lebanon in the opening match of Group B on Thursday, and then Maldives inflicted the same score-line on Bhutan.