Ready to face Roshan?
When Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka in their last match of Group A in Dhaka on Monday, they will be wary of a team that held them to 1-1 draw in Jessore and gave them a run for their money before falling to a 0-1 defeat in Rajshahi last October. But more than anyone else, Bangladesh will be specifically wary of an individual player, a certain Nalaka Roshan.
The lanky number 19 proved to the biggest threat to the Bangladesh team back then, scoring the equaliser from a free-kick in Jessore and hitting the woodwork from another free-kick three days later in Rajshahi. And judging from yesterday's performance against Malaysia, Roshan should be a major worry for the Bangladesh think-tank.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was only called up to the national team last year after Nikola Kavazovic took the coach's role. Since then, Roshan has earned the vice-captain's role and scored one goal in five matches, while hitting the woodwork quite a few times.
One of those hits was in Rajshahi when Roshan had thudded the far post of bar at as Bangladesh goalkeeper Rasel Mahmud Liton was rooted to his position at the near post. Three days earlier, Roshan had curled the ball over the wall and inside the bar at the near end as Liton was looking to guard the far end.
Yesterday's free-kick was similar to the one in Rajshahi both in terms of technique and end result. The dead-ball specialist's threat doesn't end there though.
“Roshan is a special talent who can change the fate of the match single-handedly. He is our dead-ball specialist,” Kavazovic opines of his key man, likening his impact on the Sri Lanka team to that of Mamunul Islam on Bangladesh.
But how prepared are Bangladesh to cope with Roshan? The Bangladesh team management didn't disclose too much about their tactical preparations, but it has been learnt that they have had special sessions on defending set-pieces, which has proven to be a thorn in their side in recent times.
“We have been specifically told to avoid committing silly fouls in or around the danger zone,” Mamunul said after the defeat against Malaysia. But the way Bangladesh conceded goals from corners and free-kicks consistently over the last two years, it looks highly likely they will have a hard time dealing with Roshan on Monday.
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