Bangladesh coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu was happy with how his team played, even though Nepal scored a goal in the last second to tie the game in a FIFA friendly yesterday at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur.
Bangladesh’s captain Sabina Khatun put her team ahead in the 65th minute, but Sabitra Bhandari tied the game in the 91st. This was Bangladesh’s first game since their historic 3-1 win over the same team in the final of the SAFF Women’s Championship in September of last year.
Litu, who is now in charge of the team after long-time coach Golam Rabbani Choton quit, thought that the team did pretty well even though they were missing some key players and teaching staff.
Other than Choton, BFF’s technical head Paul Smalley and fitness manager Ivan Razlog were not with the team, and key players Sirat Jahan Swapna and Akhi Khatun had already left.
“I was given the responsibility, and it was a challenge for me,” Litu said at the press meeting after the game. “I’m not making any excuses, but as you know, we were short on players and some of the ones we had to play with injuries. So I think they did a great job.”
Litu gave young players like Afeida Khandaker, Matsushima Sumaya, and Shaheda Akter Ripa their first senior appearances. Shaheda Akter Ripa set up Sabina’s goal by making a pass for the captain between two opposing players, which Sabina finished well.
When the captain ran onto Tohura Khatun’s header 10 minutes later, she should have sealed the win, but the senior striker took too long with the ball, giving Nepal goalie Anjila Tumbabo Subba time to clear the danger. Sabitra, who was the top scorer in the Indian women’s league this year, scored from a scrum in front of the goal as Bangladesh went through some tense moments near the end.
Litu thought that the Bangladesh players might have been tired because it was their first game in almost 10 months, while Nepal had played four games during this time.
“The game would have been over if Sabina had scored that goal. We were unlucky,” Litu said. “I didn’t lose my mind, but I might have been a little tired at the end. The new players will do better if they get more chances.”
Litu thought that Bangladesh could beat Nepal, which is ranked 39 places higher than them, in the second and final game of the series, which will be played on Sunday at the same place.