In a FIFA friendly played yesterday in Phnom Penh, Bangladesh defeated hosts Cambodia 1-0, providing enough preparation for next month’s SAFF Championship.
With his first international goal in the 25th minute, winger Mojibur Rahman Jonny helped maintain Bangladesh’s undefeated record against Cambodia intact. Mojibur Rahman Jonny made his debut for Bangladesh in March against Seychelles.
Spanish coach Javier Cabrera’s primary goal was to find the correct combination and fine-tune his starting eleven in preparation for the SAFF Championship, which begins on June 21 in India. The 38-year-old trainer used virtually the same starting lineup as Monday’s preseason win against Tiffy Army FC, a team from Cambodia’s elite division. Yesterday, Bishwanath Ghosh and Jonny replaced Rahmat Mia and Mohammad Ibrahim as the only two lineup adjustments.
Cabrera was pleased with the victory, which would give his team confidence heading into their SAFF Championship campaign, although Bangladesh didn’t play very well, with the exception of a few late second-half moves.
We’re ecstatic with the victory, of course. Cabrera said after the game that his team “must improve” in terms of ball management and general competence.
The counterattack goal scored by Jonny went against the grain of the Reds’ and Greens’ shaky first half performance.
Sheikh Morsalin, an offensive midfielder, and Rafiqul Islam, a winger, both made their debuts for Cabrera’s squad, while goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico once again showed his worth by blocking shots from Cambodia’s attackers, who missed a number of open nets.
When Tareq Kazi was sent off in the nick of time in the second half, Bangladesh were down to 10 men.