A stoppage-time strike from Kinga Wangchuk handed a visiting Bangladesh a 1-0 defeat to hosts Bhutan in the second and final FIFA friendly match at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan on Sunday.
Bangladeshi-born English footballer Hamza Choudhury has finally received a Bangladesh passport, confirmed Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary Emran Hossain after speaking to Hamza’s mother Rafia Choudhury today.
Obtaining a Bangladesh passport is the first criteria that Hamza has to fulfill to represent Bangladesh at the international level.
World champions Argentina maintained their position at the top of FIFA rankings, while arch-rivals Brazil were stationed at fifth and Belgium displacing England to occupy third place, as per the rankings updated on Thursday.
Before going for a two-week training camp in Saudi Arabia ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers against Palestine, Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera had repeatedly said that his team needed to put in more than they did against Lebanon in a 1-1 draw in November last year.
Having trained in Saudi Arabia for more than two weeks, the men in red and green reached Kuwait and had their first training session on Monday in the country ahead of the Palestine tie.
“The camp, like the previous year’s one, was a great experience for the team and definitely, we are better team than what we were before coming here. We are little closer to the Palestine tie and we will be ready for March 21,” Cabrera was quoted as saying in a video footage sent by Bangladesh Football Federation.
Left-back Taj Uddin's dream to play with his elder brother in the national team has all but come true after getting a call-up to the preliminary squad ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers against Palestine.
It was the first of two practice matches against Sudan before the booters head to Kuwait on March 17 to play the away match against Palestine on March 21.
Praising the performance of both the young and the experienced footballers in the just-concluded SAFF Championship, Bangladesh Football Federation's president Kazi Salahuddin urged everyone to stay disciplined in the next three to four months in a bid to overcome the first round hurdle of World Cup Qualifiers in October.
The Spaniard, who led Bangladesh to a first semifinal in the regional event for the first time in 14 years only to lose the last-four battle against Kuwait in extra time, said he was disappointed of the end result but proud of the performance from the charges.
Bangladesh women's football team's former head coach Golam Rabbani Choton took over Bangladesh Army's women's football team for two months.
Bangladesh's attacking midfielder Sheikh Morsalin is having the time of his life after getting his maiden international goal in a 3-1 triumph over the Maldives in the ongoing SAFF Championship in India on Monday.
Though Rakib Hossain, who had also left the pitch with a cramp, attended the recovery session with the team at the Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd Sports Club ground, Tariq missed training and is likely to miss the team's last group match against Bhutan.
Playing a possession-based game appeared a pipe dream given the showings, despite the fact that Cabrera's charges had shown signs of improvement and their fighting character in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Malaysia last year.
Bangladesh will begin their SAFF Championship campaign in Bengaluru today as the second-lowest ranked team in the competition, taking on Lebanon -- the highest ranked team -- with hopes of prizing at least one point from the opening Group B game.
"Obviously, we are happy with the win. But in terms of ball control and overall competency, we must improve," Cabrera said after the game
The 60-year-old star goalkeeper of 1980s and ‘90s has fallen into hard times, physically ill and currently lives in Dhaka with his brother. After a report published in a national daily on Monday, his plight came into public domain, and BCB has come forward to extend its help.
Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera put the onus on preparing for the upcoming SAFF Championship, scheduled for July in India, after a meeting with the National Teams Committee at the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) House yesterday.
