Morsalin threads the needle to rescue Bangladesh

Sheikh Morsalin reinforced his reputation as the brightest young talent in Bangladesh football after his eye-catching goal helped Bangladesh earn a come-from-behind 1-1 draw against visiting Lebanon in a World Cup Qualifiers match at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka yesterday.

Thanks to Morsalin's fourth international goal in nine matches, Bangladesh eventually left the ground with the first point in two matches. Had the equalizer not materialized, the charges of Javier Cabrera would have likely headed towards a downward spiral after a defensive blunder five minutes prior led to the visitors breaking the deadlock.

Bangladesh revived through Morsalin, who had a great opportunity to win the game with two minutes remaining. The Bashundhara Kings forward hit the side-net with just the goalie to beat after being set up inside the box by Mohammad Sohel Rana, one of the four changes alongside Morsalin introduced by Cabrera following Rakib Hossain and Saad Uddin's suspension.

Prior to the match, there was some doubt whether the men in red and green could return to their form, evident in the last six months, after a thrashing 7-0 loss to Australia in their World Cup Qualifiers opener. Cabrera's men appeared unsure at first against superior Lebanon, but they grew in confidence as the match progressed in front of an electrifying crowd.

Lebanon may have had more ball possession in the first half, but Bangladesh created more chances than the side ranked 79 places higher after resisting initial pressure. Forced to try from distance, all of Lebanon's efforts in the first half were off-target.

Bangladesh's best chance came in the 45th minute, when Faisal Ahmed Fahim whipped a low cross from the left wing for Morsalin, who saw his placing-shot within the six-yard box fly over the goalpost.

The hosts later dealt a setback when regular goalkeeper Mitul Marma suffered an injury and was replaced by Mehedi Hasan Srabon, who experienced some uncomfortable moments under the post as Lebanon pressed hard from the opening of the second half.

As the game was witnessing more end-to-end action, the pressure got to the Bangladesh defence, resulting in the opening goal in the 68th minute.

Rookie goalie Srabon lived through a nightmare under floodlights as he fumbled in a struggle to hold the ball while defenders failed to clear it. Substitute Majed Osman eventually capitalised, firing home from close range to silence the home fans.

Five minutes later, Morsalin, who received a forward ball from Fahim, raced on the edge of the box from the right flank before unleashing a powerful yet highly accurate shot to pull Bangladesh back into the game.

Lebanon also launched a massive offensive to regain the lead, but Bangladesh stood firm to deny the superior oppositions of all three points.

Although a stalemate, the result is immense for Bangladesh, who showcased fighting spirit and their most promising talent, who rose to prominence during the SAFF Championship by scoring against Maldives and Bhutan and went on to score an equaliser against Afghanistan in a FIFA friendly match.

However, Morsalin was handed a suspension by his club, Bashundhara Kings, following his involvement in an alcohol-related incident on the way back from Maldives after an AFC Cup encounter. He had missed the pre-qualifiers against Maldives as a result and, thus, his latest strike under sheer pressure is bound to work wonders for his evolution.