Hamza urges fans to ‘stay positive’ after Singapore loss

Bangladesh star midfielder Hamza Choudhury urged fans to "stay positive" despite the men in red and green suffering a 2-1 defeat to Singapore in their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at a packed National Stadium on Tuesday.

The mood going into the encounter was electric. Following a spirited showing against India in March, expectations had surged. Tickets for the high-profile fixture were snapped up within hours of release, and thousands of fans began pouring into the stadium two to three hours before kickoff. But by the time the final whistle blew, the energy had turned to heartbreak.

"Not the result we wanted! But we can be proud as a team and as a nation!! We need to stay positive because we're only just getting started and inshaAllah we will be where we want to be very soon!" Hamza wrote in a heartfelt social media post after the match.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love and support. See you guys in October," he added.

The game had been billed as one of the biggest in years for Bangladesh, amplified by the return of high-profile midfielders Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome. But while the atmosphere off the pitch delivered, the team's performance on it struggled to match expectations.

After going 2-0 down, Bangladesh found a glimmer of hope in the 67th minute when forward Rakib Hossain pulled one back, igniting the crowd and prompting a final spell of intense pressure. However, the much-needed equaliser remained elusive.

Despite the disappointment, Bangladesh remain third in Group C of the qualifiers, ahead of India, who slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Hong Kong earlier in the day. The result sees India, led by Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan, drop to the bottom of the group.

Singapore, courtesy of their win in Dhaka, now sit atop the group. Meanwhile, Hong Kong, playing at the newly unveiled Kai Tak Sports Park, earned a morale-boosting victory and moved up to second place.