It took Maldives 15 years to finally beat Bangladesh ever since the 5-0 drubbing in their debut match against the Men in Red and Green in 1984, whereas the Islanders had flipped the script to initiate a decade-long winning streak of their own since the 2011 edition of SAFF Championships. However, it all ended with a 2-1 defeat to Bangladesh in the ongoing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy in Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Newly appointed interim head coach Mario Lemos revealed a 24-member preliminary squad of Bangladesh football team for next month’s Four Nations invitational tournament in Sri Lanka yesterday.
India once again proved too strong for their neighbours, securing an eighth SAFF Championship crown by beating Nepal 3-0 in the final of the 13th edition of the regional football extravaganza at the National Football Stadium in Male yesterday.
As the 13th edition of the South Asian football extravaganza concluded last night in Male, Bangladesh’s football fraternity should buckle up to thoroughly reflect on what transpired in the latest SAFF Championship for the country who last featured in the final of the prestigious tournament 16 long years ago.
The curtain of the 13th SAFF Championship draws to a close today after the seven-time champions India take on debutant finalist Nepal in the closing match of the regional football extravaganza at Maldives’ National Football Stadium in Male.
“We had been waiting for this moment for the last 16 years but you killed our dream,” Tapu Barman shouted towards Uzbek referee Akhrol Riskullaev soon after Bangladesh’s encounter against Nepal, as well as their SAFF Championship campaign, drew to a close on Wednesday at Maldives National Football Stadium in Male.
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri broke legendary footballer Pele’s record during their semifinal match of the SAFF Championship against Maldives on Wednesday.
For someone who had just tuned in yesterday to watch the ongoing SAFF Championship’s virtual semi-final match between Bangladesh and Nepal at the dying seconds of the 78thminute, the move from the left that resulted in the sending off of goalkeeperAnisur Rahman Zico would seem like a great through-ball created by the Himalayan nation behind Bangladesh's defensive high-line . Although in reality, it was Rakib Hossain, whose atrocious back-pass towards the direction of his central defenders had Bangladesh on a slippery slope from then on at Maldives National Stadium in Male.
Having enjoyed a two-day rest following the defeat against Maldives, the national booters looked upbeat in the two-hour long training session today ahead of their do-or-die SAFF Championship fixture against high-flying Nepal.
On the back of only a week-long preparation under interim coach Oscar Bruzon, Bangladesh national team surprised all in their first two matches against Sri Lanka and India in the ongoing SAFF Championship before suffering a defeat against hosts Maldives in their third match,
Centre-back Tapu Barman has been thinking about Nepal from the day Bangladesh suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Maldives in the SAFF Championship last Thursday.
Will a victory over Nepal be enough for Bangladesh to make it through to the final of the SAFF Championship?
Bangladesh coach Oscar Bruzon blamed fatigue for a 2-0 loss to hosts Maldives in their SAFF Championship match at the National Football Stadium in Male yesterday night.
An overhead bicycle kick and a calmly converted penalty saw hosts Maldives beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their SAFF Championship group stage encounter at the National Stadium in Male today.
Despite having tickets, many Bangladeshi expatriate fans tonight failed to enter the National Football Stadium in Male to watch the SAFF Championship encounter between Bangladesh and the Maldives.
Following a creditable 1-1 draw against India in the SAFF Championship, the booters of Bangladesh national football team are looking forward to keeping the winning momentum intact in their third match against Maldives on Thursday.
The expatriate spectators had played a significant role behind the good performance of Bangladesh national football team against Sri Lanka and India in the ongoing SAFF Championship but the men in red and green may not have the same volume of support from the expatriate spectators in their next match due to the unavailability of tickets.
Having come back from a goal down and one man short to earn a creditable 1-1 draw against India, Bangladesh football coach Oscar Bruzon mentioned that the Bangladesh football is still well and truly alive and expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the national team in their second SAFF Championship encounter at Maldives yesterday.
