We love tragic heroes

Don't we love tragic heroes? Almost three years ago the packed audience at the home of Bangladesh's cricket in Mirpur and millions across the country cried with the Tigers after their two-run defeat against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final.

On Sunday night a similar spectacle revisited the country, this time at the home of Bangladesh's football in the heart of Dhaka, where our footballing heroes suffered a stoppage time 3-2 defeat against Malaysia in a pulsating final of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup.

I'm drawing the comparison because on both occasions no one ever thought that the home side would make it to the final. And more importantly no one expected that the hosts would become the victim of a freak final.

That defeat against Pakistan is something we fondly cherish for not that we lost that game but for that imagination of how close we were to winning an international tournament of high standard.

It was another stage set for home fans at the Bangabandhu National Stadium where a less- followed and less-glamorous footballers were thriving to take a firm step towards reviving the game's glory days.

And like their more patronised cricketing brothers, the half-fed and even less-sponsored booters truly made a match out of the final. If the first half belonged to the Malaysians, the second was reserved for the red and green. The boys of Lodewijk de Kruif took nine minutes to make a 2-0 deficit into a 2-2 parity that included one gigantic header from defender Yeasin Khan, an effort that could even make world's top marksman Cristiano Ronaldo proud of. Not only that; with midfielder Mamunul Islam, who can easily be separated from the 21 other players on the field, manning his troop like a true general it was Bangladesh that looked like the team who could win this game. His slick passes, looping crosses and wonderful sway to create those small spaces gave the audience a feel of a David Silva, taking a break from Manchester City and playing for Bangladesh.

But even that was not enough for Bangladesh to avoid being a part of a play, which was filled with suspense and drama but eventually ended as a tragic movie. A goal in the 92nd minute is the cruellest scenario for anyone at the receiving end.

A harmless ball supposed to roll over line for a goal-kick took a wicked knock of a suddenly tumbling defender, forcing perhaps the last corner of the regulation 90 minutes. A perfect floater from the left-hand corner flags and an equally perfect header broke a hundred and seventy million hearts. A final script right out of a Shakespearean tragedy if not from the supernatural.

Do you want to imagine what happened after that? Just replace Shakib Al Hasan with a crying Mamunul in your mind.