Sheikh Morsalin, who sprang to fame two months ago at the SAFF Championship with two spectacular goals against Bhutan and the Maldives, will likely need a while to get over the opportunity he lost versus Afghanistan in the Sunday FIFA friendly.
After Bishwanath Ghosh sent him a long ball, Rakib Hossain sprinted from the right wing into the box to square it up for Morsalin, who was unmarked and had only the Afghan goalie to beat, but his shot was far off target.
Later, in the second half, Afghanistan’s undefeated streak against Bangladesh reached seven games when Rakib, too, wasted a simple opportunity.
If Morsalin had scored that goal, Afghanistan coach Abdullah Almutairi thinks he may have been this game’s MVP.
A person may not make the best choices when they are sleep deprived. While not too high, he drove with good skill. Everyone would have declared Morsalin the game’s MVP if he had scored the goal. Regarding Morsalin’s squandered opportunity, Almutairi said, “But this is the system; sometimes they are too tired and let’s not blame the players for missing one chance or making a mistake.”
Coach Javier Cabrera of Bangladesh said, “It is great that we keep on creating chances, that is clear,” when asked whether he was disappointed about the lost opportunity. Morsalin and Rakib pose a threat. They missed if they had to, so let them miss today as well. They must become knowledgeable, seize the opportunity, and use this against the Maldives.”
The Afghanistan coach said that they had a precise strategy in place when they halted Rakib and Bishwanath.
“I believe we did a great job stopping Rakib. We did not offer Ghosh the opportunity to back Rakib. We also kept Jamal (Bhuiyan) out of the region. Our defensive strategy was sound, but we committed three errors. “Those errors could have resulted in goals for Bangladesh,” said Almutairi, who also expressed his desire to have Bishwanath on his own team.
“To start, let me greet Ghosh and his two lovely girls, and I wish him all the best. Ghosh wasn’t challenged by me. If only Ghosh was on my team. The 41-year-old coach, who had before led Nepal to a 1-1 tie against Bangladesh in the 2021 SAFF Championship in the Maldives, said of the player’s performance today, “He played very hard.”
When asked what the Bangladeshi team in 2021 and the Kuwaiti team had in common, the Kuwaiti answered, “Back then, they had more plans centered around Jamal, but now they can find the solution without Jamal.” Tactically, Rakib has matured. He gave me cues to go inside after 45 minutes, if you noticed. The difference is that he was within our box from the moment we touched him.”
Almutairi also thinks that Bangladesh has improved as a result of participating in more international matches.
“Players will develop when they play more and collaborate with one another. As they develop, the distinction will become apparent. Prior to this, only India utilised the FIFA window; Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka did not. However, Bangladesh has altered by using the FIFA window. The players gained additional experience during their match against Cambodia before to the SAFF Championship.”