Rakib, Morsalin repay Cabrera's faith

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera took a risk by playing without a genuine striker while deploying Rakib Hossain and Sheikh Morsalin on the wings, and the forwards paid back the coach's faith by scoring a goal apiece against Bhutan in the crucial SAFF Championship match in Bengaluru on Wednesday.  

Despite conceding an early lead, Bangladesh staged a strong comeback, especially after the equaliser from teenager Morsalin before Rakib made sure of a memorable victory by contributing in the second goal and scoring the third.

Rakib and Morsalin are happy with back-to-back goals in the SAFF Championship and want to contribute in Bangladesh's victories in coming days.

"We badly needed this victory for Bangladesh football. All the players worked hard. I think the hard work paid off but the job is still not finished. I think the semifinal will be very tough for us and we really want to play our best football in the next match," Rakib said, adding that they wanted to put Bhutan under pressure from the beginning.

"We were focused on attack in a bid to keep Bhutan under pressure. However, the important thing is that we have come back strongly," the Bashundhara Kings winger said. "I always take to the ground to score goals and it is always a happy moment when I get goals. I want to keep the momentum of scoring goals."

Morsalin said, "I feel good. We are really grateful for the supports from the people of the country. They kept faith on us and we are happy to repay. My job was to help the team win the match and I am happy to have contributed. I want to keep doing this job."