Hosts humiliated

TIP OF AN ICEBERG: Iraq midfielder Dhurgham Ismael (C) runs for joy after scoring the opening goal against Bangladesh during their AFC U-19 Group A qualifying match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Iraqi youths won 6-0.Photo: Anisur Rahman

Bangladesh's hopes of qualifying for the AFC U-19 Cham-pionship received a jolt yesterday when they suffered a humiliating 6-0 defeat at the hands of five-time champions Iraq in their second Group A match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
Substitute forward Ali Hussein Fendi struck twice while Dhurgham Ismael Dawood, Ali Qasim Mshari, Ali Adnan and substitute Abdul Raheem struck one goal each in an absolutely one-sided affair in front of some 5,000 spectators.
After making a flying start against the Maldives, everyone expected that Bangladesh would give Iraq a tough fight on the pitch. But the harsh reality of the gulf in class between the opponents was bought to the fore as the hosts came out behind in all departments.
It was a mixture of skill, speed, technique and tactics that worked for Iraq who showed exactly why they had clinched the youth championship title five times. The Bangladeshis were busy throughout the game trying to thwart the Iraqi attacks but they could not avert the blues of conceding half a dozen goals.
Iraq launched attacks through both wings with right-back Mohammed Jabbar Arebat and left-back Ali Adnan overlapping to release crosses that made the Bangladeshi hapless throughout the game.
At the start of the game, the Bangladeshi boys ran without purpose and their poor control on the ball allowed Iraq to take full advantage in midfield through their superior technique that allowed them to simply toy with the opponents. The margin could have been even bigger had three goals not been ruled out due to different reasons.
However, Iraq took only nine minutes to take the lead with Dhurgham Ismael converting a penalty shot while Ali Qasim doubled the lead in the 24th minute capitalizing on a fumble made by defender Tapu.
Then Ali Adnan dodged two players inside the box to place the ball home with a nice right-footer nine minutes into the second half while substitute Abdul Raheem made it 4-0 in the 72nd minute.
Substitute Ali Hussein, who came in place of Ali Qasim after 69th minute, struck two goals inside two minutes to widen the margin to 6-0 and give Iraq a convincing campaign in the qualifiers.
“There was a big difference between Bangladesh and Iraq and the boys made too many mistakes, causing the huge defeat,” said Bangladesh coach Nikola Ilievski adding that Bangladesh have a slim chance of qualifying for the finals as Saudi Arabia and Oman are also good teams.
“The boys played excellently and securing three points was very important for us as the boys carried out the plan perfectly,” said Iraq coach Hakim Shakir.
Shakir said the playing style, formation and plan made the different between two teams.