Cabrera lost for words after ‘painful' defeat

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera had neither any explanation nor any excuse after his side lost a FIFA friendly match against Maldives 1-0 at home, dashing their hopes of getting a favourable draw in next year's Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The men in red and green had played with much positivity and attacking intent, creating a number of chances -- something Cabrera had declared his side would do, but in the end it was veteran Ali Fasir's 18th-minute header which saw his side suffer their first home defeat against the islanders.

"It's difficult to explain, very painful in the end," exclaimed a visibly resigned Cabrera, who's extended contract runs out in December, at the post-match press conference following the defeat at the Bashundhara Kings Arena.

While Cabrera vowed to egg his side on for a better result in the second match on Saturday, any realistic hope of moving into Pot 3 from Pot 4 for next month's Asian Cup Qualifiers draw were all but extinguished. The Spaniard said he could not explain the defeat after his team had created 'most chances of his tenure as Bangladesh coach during this match.'

"We did everything to score," the Spaniard said. "I don't know how many chances we created and I don't know what else we could do."

While Cabrera was right to rue the attacks that were not turned into scoring shots, and the one occasion Sohel Rana's shot hit the woodwork, the reality was that there were not many scoring opportunities created by the hosts due to a lack of cohesion among the forwards as well as in defence from his charges, a stark contrast to the rousing 2-1 win a year ago at the same venue in a World Cup Qualifying playoff, which had seen his side sneak into main qualifiers at Maldives' expense.

The coach also bemoaned the lack of concentration of his charges for the decisive goal as Fasir was left unmarked by a napping defence on a free-kick from Hamza Mohamed.

Rakib Hossain and Faysal Ahmed Fahim, the two forwards operating down the wings, failed to put the right crosses inside the box while at the other end, there was a clear lack of understanding in defence where young Abahani centre-back Shakil Ahad Topu was handed his debut, leaving some 4000 spectators frustrated.

Cabrera had thrown in four pairs of fresh legs towards the end, injecting some much-needed pace but the final shot, be it from Rakib or Sheikh Morsalin or substitute Mojibor Rahman Johny was always missing.

The defeat also closes in on a dismal year for the Bangladesh team following an upward tick in performance and results last year when they had reached the semifinals of the SAFF Championship and qualified for World Cup Qualifiers. In 2024, Cabrera's men have now six of the seven matches they have played, scoring just one goal and conceding 14.

Although Cabrera did not comment on speculations regarding his future with Bangladesh football, the Spaniard would need to find a positive and reassuring performance from his charges in the next match to survive as the team's head coach in the Asian Cup Qualifiers in March next year.