Rana, Nayeem in line
With two friendly fixtures scheduled for later this month and the first two matches of the Joint Qualifiers of World Cup and Asian Cup in mid-June, Bangladesh national team is still looking for a technically sound goalkeeper to do the job between the sticks.
The goalkeeping position has been a thorn in the side for Bangladesh ever since reliable 'keeper Aminul Haque played his last for the national team in 2010. Rasel Mahmud Liton, Shahidul Alam Shohel, Mamun Khan, Mazharul Islam Himel and a few others have been tried and tested, but no one has made the position his own.
Under such circumstances, head coach Lodewijk de Kruif has called up two fresh faces -- Ashraful Islam Rana of Mohammedan and Mohammad Nayeem of Team BJMC -- alongside Liton, Shohel and Himel in the preliminary squad for the upcoming matches.
The selection of Rana and Nayeem has drawn attention of people in football as these two goalkeepers are still relatively unknown on a broader scale.
Rana has so far played in four league matches for Mohammedan SC, substituting first-choice Mohammad Nehal.
“I was called into the squad after the coaches watched me in the match against Feni Soccer. It was a surprise call for me,” said Rana.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper believes securing a place in the final squad is a big challenge but he is fully prepared for the battle to fulfil his dream.
Like Rana, Nayeem also played a couple of matches for BJMC in place of first-choice 'keeper Arifuzzaman Himel and caught the attention of Schweichler to get the call-up for the 32-member preliminary squad.
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