Narrow defeat this time
Bangladesh salvaged some pride by displaying spirited football against Tajikistan in their single-goal defeat in the second-leg play-off encounter of the Asian Cup Qualifiers against Tajikistan at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
The defeat left Bangladesh with the task of facing Bhutan in another two-legged play-off in September and October, while Tajikistan, with an aggregate 6-0 win, progressed to the 24-team main qualifying round.
Bangladesh coach Lodewijk de Kruif might feel satisfied with the performance of his charges, however there was still cause for concern over set-pieces, as Nazarov Akhtam's eighth-minute curler proved decisive.
The visitors took the field with the same tempo at the rain-soaked pitch as they had at home, and exhibited some crisp passing and quick positional changes among the players.
However, the hosts were able to keep the margin to 1-0 as they staged a comeback in the second half, when they created a few scoring chances but failed to cash in on those opportunities, thanks to some good defending from Tajikistan and brilliant saves from goalkeeper Mahkamov Abduaziz.
De Kruif had made five changes to his starting eleven, with defenders Nasiruddin Chowdhury and Mamun Mia replacing Ariful Islam and Nasirul Islam. The two centre-backs did well to foil attacks, while midfielders Jamal Bhuiyan and Emon Babu kept the Tajik midfield inactive with their heavy marking in the first half.
Defender Raihan Hasan, however, committed to an unnecessary tackle on the edge of the box and Nazarov found the back of the net from the ensuing free-kick after the ball had taken a slight deflection off defender Tapu Barman's head.
Having conceded, Bangladesh tried to attack through the wings, with right-winger Jewel Rana causing trouble for the opposition defenders. There were some promising attacks from Bangladesh but striker Nabib Newaj Jibon failed to avail two good opportunities in the first half.
After resumption, Bangladesh enjoyed the lion's share of possession and created a couple of scoring opportunities but Tapu saw his goal-bound header cleared by defender Tukhtasunov Dalerdjon for a corner while Nasiruddin's glancing header was well gripped by the Tajikistan goalkeeper.
Eight minutes from time, Mamunul Islam tried his luck from distance with a powerful left-footer, forcing a brilliant save from the Tajikistan goalkeeper.
In the end however came a further blow to Bangladesh as Jamal Bhuiyan picked up an unnecessary yellow card in his second successive match, meaning he will miss Bangladesh's next match, the qualifying playoff against Bhutan.
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