Yesterday at the Changlimthang Stadium in Thimphu, the coaches and captains of Bangladesh and India posed for photographs with the trophy that they won in the SAFF U-16 Championship. India will be Bangladesh’s opponent in today’s championship match, despite the fact that Bangladesh’s campaign began with a loss to India by a score of 1-0 to India.
The coach of the Bangladesh team, Saifur Rahman Moni, and the captain of the team, Nazmul Huda Faisal, have both underlined their intention to win the SAFF U-16 Championship for a third time by beating India and turning the tables on them. The championship match will begin at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu at 6:00 p.m. Bangladesh Standard Time.
Champions for the second time The first game of the season was a loss for Bangladesh, who fell to the Indians by a score of 1-0 after allowing a late goal due to a defensive error. The players and coaches are resolute in their efforts to avoid repeating previous errors and bringing the trophy back to the United States for the first time since 2018.
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We were defeated in the opening encounter by India by a score of 1-0. Following that setback, we have demonstrated that we are dedicated to competing in the championship game and bringing home the trophy. “We have a chance to win the championship if we are able to correct the errors that we made in the first game,” the head coach Moni stated yesterday during the pre-final press conference.
After suffering a loss in the first match, Bangladesh gained their composure and defeated Nepal by a score of 1-0 to advance to the semifinals, where they went on to upset Pakistan by a score of 2-1. Moni believes that they are getting better with each match and that they now have a chance to win the championship.
“Right from the start, we set our sights on taking home the championship trophy. As a result, now that we’ve made it to the championship game, we don’t want to blow it,” said Moni, adding that the vice captain of the squad, Ashik, who missed the semifinals due to a fever, is not yet completely healthy again.
The captain of Bangladesh, Faisal, expressed a desire to improve after the team’s poor performance in the first encounter.
“India are always the favourites in SAFF competitions, but we will play for the victory and with the prayers of countrymen, we want to bring the trophy home,” he said. “We will play for the victory and with the prayers of countrymen, we will bring the trophy home.”
Ishfaq Ahmed, the coach of India, provided a more measured response when asked about the final, saying, “Bangladesh are a good side. They won both of their most recent matches thanks to strong performances. Therefore, it will be a suitable pairing. But if we stay true to our strategy and play the way we want to play, the outcome will turn out the way we want it to. We aim to keep things straightforward while still playing solid football, and we won’t let ourselves be distracted by the big game.