A victory worth every cheer
Bangladesh national football team yesterday gave their adoring fans moments of unbridled joy with a 1-0 victory against Thailand's youth team in the semifinal of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup. The men in red and green put up a clinical performance in front of a packed stadium at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, setting up a final clash against their early nemesis, Malaysia, tomorrow.
A 40th minute strike by centre-back Nasiruddin Chowdhury proved to be the decider as the hosts, having completely dominated the opening half, dug in deep and kept the young and speedy Thais at bay.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The win not only gave the senior national team a final berth in a multinational tournament for the first time since the 2005 SAFF Championship in Karachi, but also validated the Bangladesh Football Federation's decision to revive the Bangabandhu Gold Cup after a 15-year hibernation. The attendance at the big bowl was evidence enough that football is still very much in the hearts of the people of this country.
There was an air of expectation as the day began. A growing optimism about the way the national team had raised their performance level throughout the tournament gave the dignitaries and football aficionados a reason to head to the big bowl on a public holiday. By the time the match kicked off, the big bowl had turned into a sea of red and green.
The positive feeling transmitted to the Bangladesh players as they made a brisk start, trying to catch the Thais off-guard with a fast-paced passing game. The unchanged eleven from the previous game looked even sharper and more in sync with the coach's gameplan as the two wingers Zahid Hossain and Sohel Rana kept the Thai defence on their toes. Jamal Bhuiyan was the quiet workhorse at the centre of midfield and every time he touched the ball, the fans were assured.
Perhaps the best move from the hosts in the entire game came in the 25th minute when Zahid darted down the right flank, leaving two opposition players in his wake before Hemanta Vincent Biswas took possession of the ball and lobbed it inside the box for Sohel. The tireless winger recovered from a heavy touch to cut back inside a defender before unleashing a left-footed shot, only to be blocked by a Thai defender for a corner.
Another such move in the 39th minute, with Zahid's cross being cleared for a corner, gave way to the opening goal. Mamunul swerved the ball with his favoured left foot and it was centre-back Nasir who was the only man to get to it. The veteran defender, who had traded his striker's boots for that of defender's midway through his career, shrugged off two defenders and used all the reach of his left leg to turn it in past a flat-footed Thai goalkeeper.
The one-goal advantage gave Bangladesh the luxury to defend deep in the second half which allowed the desperate Thais to regularly work the ball into the opposition half. The Thai striking duo of Pimkoon Jaturong and Parmpak Pakorn gave the hosts, who had shifted to a 5-5 formation towards the end, a few nervous moments. Pakorn, the Thai skipper, beat Bangladesh goalie Shahidul Alam all ends up in the 64th minute, but as luck would have it, the curling effort hit the intersection of the bar and the right hand post.
But by and large, Shahidul came under little pressure as Nair and especially Raihan Hasan put in a shift at the back. The latter, who caused some havoc with his long-range throw-ins in the first half, moved in to a more central role in defence towards the end and made two world-class tackles when the Thai striking duo had a sight on goal.
At the other end, Bangladesh hardly made a threatening effort except for two attempts from Mamunul and a long-range chip from Hemanta. All they needed was to hold on to the lead and thanks to the effort of the defenders, they did so effectively.
Comments