Success after 14 years 'not by luck', says Bangladesh coach 

Bangladesh had been yearning to make it to the semifinals of the SAFF Championship and an agonising wait of 14 years was finally over on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over Bhutan in Bengaluru.

The much-awaited success arrived under the watchful guidance of Spanish head coach Javier Cabrera after his predecessors -- Macedonian Nikola Ilievski, Dutch Lodewijk Kruif, local Maruful Haque, English Jamie Day and Spanish Oscar Bruzon – could not prevent Bangladesh from painfully exiting the tournament from the group stage in last five editions.

Cabrera believes the semifinals berth was not "a present" that was handed to them but a "whole process" that eventually came to fruition.

"It [getting into the semifinals] was not by luck. Still there is a long way to go but we need support from everyone and we need to continue working the same," said Cabrera after match.

"It is a part of the whole process that we started in January, 2022, so we are slowly achieving things."

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera (R) in the dugout during Bhutan fixture on June 28, 2023. Photo: 2023

The Spaniard did not shy away from crediting assistant coach, Hasan Al Mamun, for helping him in the scouting process since arrival.

"A lot of work is behind it. There is a lot of commitment from the players, who believe in what we do. A lot of work from technical staff is behind it. Hasan Al Mamun and I scouted every player from every single match of BPL, Federation Cup and Independence Cup. We went through every training session to see which players can adjust and understand the system of what we do. We also brought more staff that provided a lot of quality to the team and it worked."

Naturally, the media has garnered a majority of their attention to the goal-scorers on the night -- Sheikh Morsalin and Rakib Hossain – but Cabrera diffused his praises within the team, mentioning the ones from outside the starting eleven against Bhutan. Cabrera said Rakib "is on another level" with his "superior physicality", while Morsalin gives the impression that "something's gonna happen" when the 19-year-old has the ball at his feet in the final third. 

"As the main players, Rakib and Morsalin did fantastic jobs today but other players also provided a lot for the team.

"[Foysal Ahmed] Fahim has been fantastic in the previous two games. Suman [Reza] is a beast who can play anytime and give everything for the team.

Bangladesh players and coaching staff on June 28, 2023. Photo: BFF

The Bangladesh coach was "very happy" to overcome a difficult match against an opposition they anticipated to be capable of playing "well on the ball".

"Obviously, very happy with the achievement. We knew it could be a difficult start and it happened. [The team was] quite shaky, did not find the confidence and it was difficult. [Up to] four minutes were all right but we were not able to find our game," said Cabrera.

"As we slowly came back since we were down one-nil, the team started improving and being patient with the ball… Once we cooled down a bit, we managed to do much better and the second half was about how to play against time, how to play with the moment of the game. We did not take much risk, making sure that objectives were achieved."

Cabrera said his charges "will be happier than anyone" as they have been on the receiving end of prolonged criticism for years. The inclusions of Lebanon and Kuwait in this SAFF Championship edition made their task a lot harder than it already was.

"We were able to become one of the main teams in the SAFF Championship, which included two teams from the Middle East [this edition].

"[I'm] happy for the players and the team because of the many criticisms and arguments [they faced], so the players will be happier than anyone," Cabrera concluded.