After an 84th minute equaliser earned Bangladesh a draw against Afghanistan in the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers on Thursday, the men in red and green’s compact defence and their desire to chase the game till the final whistle were widely appreciated by coaches and football lovers all over the country.
Despite Tapu Barman’s leveler being the biggest talking point of the match, the discipline of Bangladesh’s defense did not go unnoticed.
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In the absence of some key players, the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha saw debuts handed to bright prospects like Finland-born defender Tariq Raihan Kazi, Chittagong Abahani’s Manik Hossain Molla and Rimon Hossain of Bashundhara Kings. All three impressed by exceeding expectations.
Former national footballer and experienced coach Saiful Bari Titu expressed contentment about the team’s performance.
“Bangladesh defended really well throughout the match. We didn’t concede any goals in the first half despite Afghanistan dominating in the attacking third. We maintained a solid defensive line and didn’t let the opposition cause much damage,” he said.
“Although the team looked a bit messy after conceding the goal, [Bangladesh coach] Jamie [Day] made some smart changes by introducing Manik Molla, Rimon Hossain and the others who helped to wrest back control of the game.”
Manik Hossain Molla was introduced nine minutes after Bangladesh conceded and Titu acknowledged the midfielder’s performance in defensive midfield, a position similar to the one Titu played.
“Manik Molla has been playing really well in the league. He has tremendous ball control and knows where to play the ball. He has a great ability to intercept balls and can snatch it back from the opposition. That was evident during the match as well.”
Debutant Tariq Kazi also had a decent performance, making seven clearances including a couple of crucial headers against the towering Afghan strikers.
Tariq and Manik Molla also took bookings for the team, but it was a collective effort by the defence that thwarted over 15 attacks from Afghanistan.
Titu emphasised that the play when in transition will be equally as important as a compact defense against India, whom Bangladesh face tomorrow.
“India have a stronger defence than Afghanistan. To do well against them, we need to keep possession well during transitions. We failed to do that against Afghanistan, but it can cost us against India.”
The local coach sounded optimistic ahead of the match, saying: “India and Afghanistan are the closest to ours in terms of quality in this group. Anything can happen in the match. But similar to our match against Afghanistan, we have to go with the confidence that we can come back from a difficult situation.”
Bangladesh Defender Rahmat Mia also shone a spotlight on defensive duties ahead of the next match, saying: “Usually the defensive challenge is very stern against big teams. We have to concentrate on not making silly mistakes or we may end up conceding goals. We have to stay compact throughout.”
