Tapu proud of defenders scoring goals

Before any international football match, the Bangladesh coach is invariably asked as to who would score and the coach's straightforward answer is anyone can score in the match.

The same question was put before Javier Cabrera ahead of Saturday's match against Seychelles and the reply of the coach was, "we want to win the match and anyone can score, it can be either strikers or others."

The question being asked every time is due to the lack of the genuine strikers in the country, which had once produced a lot of the quality forwards who could scored international goals.

Bangladesh have been struggling in international matches to find the target for a long time. The footballers have left the ground with pain of defeat after wasting scoring chances too many times in the past.

However, the defenders are doing the job of the forwards by scoring goals for the men in red and green, even though the forwards are statistically still ahead of defenders in terms of scoring international goals.

Centre-back Tariq Kazi scored the winning goal against Seychelles with a first-half header in the first FIFA friendly in Sylhet on Saturday after defenders Bishwanath Ghosh, Tapu Barman and Yeasin Arafat did the same during international matches in recent past.

Between 2020 and 2023, Bangladesh played 32 official and unofficial international matches where they won only seven matches. Thirteen players got 24 goals in those 32 matches, with winger Mohammad Ibrahim on top with five goals, followed by defender Tapu Barman and forward Mahabubur Rahman Sufil and forward Suman Reza, scoring three goals each.

Striker Matin Mia has two goals while Rakib Hossain, Sazzad Hossain, Nabib Newaj Jibon, Jamal Bhuiyan, Jewel Rana, Tariq, Bishwanath and Arafat scored one goal each.

Interestingly Bangladesh never lost matches in recent past when defenders scored.

As forwards Ibrahim, Sufil, Jibon, Sazzad Hossain and Jewel Rana are not in current squad, the responsibility of scoring goals falls on forwards like Rakib, Matin, Aminur Rahman Sajib and Mojibor Rahman Jonny, who collectively scored five goals in domestic competitions.

Though the forwards are failing to find the target, centre-back Tapu is not worried.

"It is not important who scores goals in all-out football; rather it is important to avail the opportunity whoever gets it," Tapu told reporters after the post-match briefing. "Actually everyone tries to score and it is important to avail the chances."

 "In modern football, it is not that only defenders will defend throughout the match, they also score goals in world and domestic football. Being a defender, I feel proud and happy if a defender can contribute towards victory by scoring goals," Tapu added.

The defender and the coach, however, would be hoping to get goals from the forwards in the second and final friendly against Seychelles on Tuesday.