Usually, Bangladesh players have a lot of fun in the dressing room during international matches, but before to their vital SAFF Championship match against Maldives at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru yesterday, they were in a state of worry.
After a morale-boosting 3-1 win – the first over Maldives in the tournament in 20 years, keeping Bangladesh’s chances of a semifinal place alive, the players scarcely spoke with each other before taking on the island country. However, all of the stress, worry, and uncertainty vanished after the victory, which was the first over Maldives in the competition in 20 years.
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Following the blowing of the final whistle, many of the players could be seen celebrating their triumph by lying down on the ground, while others raced towards the bench. Tapu Barman and Jamal Bhuiyan were overheard yelling “vamos, vamos” after their team’s victory, which made the atmosphere for the players and the management of the squad much more favorable.
“There was chaos in the locker room, and we rarely spoke to each other before the game started, despite the fact that we generally joke about and have a good time before major international competitions. “The locker room was really vibrating after the match, and all of us are happy with this important victory,” said winger Rakib Hossain, who scored the goal that equalized the score just before halftime.
The win was described as a significant accomplishment by the coach, Javier Cabrera, who also gave thanks to the players.
“It is a really impressive accomplishment. We were aware of how crucial it was to get all three points, particularly given how difficult the situation was immediately after the loss of the goal. Before the score, the mood in the stadium had changed significantly, and the lads did an outstanding job in bringing it back. “They deserve all the credit in the world,” Cabrera remarked in the post-game press conference.
Players from Bangladesh celebrate Tariq Kazi’s goal after he scored. Image credit: SAFF
The Spaniard expressed his conviction that they will win the match before they left the stadium.
“During the break at halftime, in the locker room, they kept asking for more and more, and we were very certain that we would end up winning the game. “They did it and they do believe in themselves and that is what they also do and proved that they have the opportunity to qualify for the semifinals,” said the 38-year-old, whose team was defeated 2-0 by the same opponent in his first assignment with Bangladesh. In that match, he was responsible for leading Bangladesh to a loss.
“Since we got off to a strong start, the plan was to keep going in the same direction.” When playing against the clock, the plan was to keep doing the same thing and start the second half forcefully. The aim was to not give them any opportunities and to go for another goal. We were quite certain that we would be able to score at least two goals in the match. And it was because of the circumstance that the squad was able to win.”
In response to a question on the performance of certain athletes, Cabrera said, “Bishwanath did well because he has been a fighter who is always ready to give you more than you want.” Morsalin is another young player who has been doing well for the team he now belongs to. But it has been a genuine team effort, and I don’t want to single out one or two individuals because everyone fights for each other, and that is the way to win matches.
We must approach Bhutan in the same manner that we approached [the Maldives] today. Again, Bhutan’s performance in the first half against the Maldives left a positive impression on me. They had more scoring opportunities, but unfortunately they gave up a penalty. “Bhutan is a challenging adversary, and we are aware that in order to advance to the semifinals, we need to earn three points,” stated Cabrera.