The target was to win: Morsalin 

Bangladesh forward Sheikh Morsalin said that his target was always to go for the win after he netted a long-ranging screamer to rescue a 1-1 draw against Lebanon in a World Cup Qualifiers fixture at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Tuesday. 

Morsalin, who was awarded a place in the starting eleven in the absence of suspended forward Rakib Hossain, drilled home from outside the box just five minutes after substitute Majed Osman broke the deadlock to give Lebanon a lead. 

"My target was not to draw the match, it was to win it. I am happy with my strike and the effort from all the players was good which is why we could overcome the odds today," Morsalin said. 

The 18-year-old was dropped from the national team along with four other players ahead of the pre-qualifiers against Maldives following his suspension from the club in an alcohol-related incident on the team's way back home from Maldives after an AFC Cup match.

"Yes, I wasn't in the squad for two matches but my target was to give a hundred percent. Today, our target was to give more than that. I tried my best but made some mistakes as well. I will be trying to rectify those mistakes in the future," he said.

The onus was on Morsalin to deliver as Bangladesh were without the services of forward Rakib Hossain who has been a key figure for the men in red and green in the attacking side of things. Morsalin net one but Bangladesh were left ruing as the forward missed a couple of sitters that could've sealed a memorable win for the home side.

"We were under a bit of pressure following the suspension of our best player [Rakib Hossain] but we tried to shrug off the pressure and leave the ground with a good result. Thank God, we got a point," he said.

Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera, however, did not want to ponder on the missed opportunities, saying that he was happy with a point.

"It is ridiculous to ask about his misses in such a result. Not only Morsalin, but all the players including Shakil Ahmed, Isa Faisal defended well. Everyone did a good job," said Cabrera. 

"We are happy with one point and we had the conviction to get something more today. We have to be more ambitious and have to believe in ourselves. We have to aim higher in terms of objectives. I am happy with the players who worked hard and showed what they could do," he added.

Bangladesh take on Palestine in their next fixture in March 2024.