Not too convincing

Rain clouds bid the national footballers bye at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday during their final practice match against Sporting Independent before they leave for Sri Lanka to play the SAFF Football Championship.Photo: Anisur Rahman

Bangladesh will heavily miss the absence of a genuine playmaker in the side when they compete in the SAFF Football Championship early next month.
It was evident in their last practice match at home yesterday -- in fact the national players' first and only show in the capital before the departure to Thailand on Tuesday en route to Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh are expected to play at least one preparation match in Bangkok.
Although Abu Yusuf's men defeated Sporting Independent -- a local team full of experience but lesser in fitness and stamina -- 1-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on a rainy day, they never convinced the small crowd that they would leave as favourites to regain the title won by their predecessors back in 2003 at home.
Zahid Hassan Emily's tenth minute strike settled the issue for the SAFF preliminary squad -- which will be trimmed to 20 members today -- but the opposition, who enjoyed superior ball possession in the second half, created better chances.
Emily latched on to a left-side centre by overlapping fullback Waly Faisal and headed the ball into the top left corner of Nizam at the Sporting goal after the rival defence allowed the cross to take a bounce inside the area.
Apart from that early sluggishness, the Sporting backline was excellently marshalled by Sujan, who was ignored for the regional competition for missing an entire season through injury.
The ace Abahani centre-back, who scored Bangladesh's winning goal in the tiebreakers in the 2003 SAFF final against Maldives at the same venue, looked fit and proved that had he be given special attention at the start of the national camp, he could have regained confidence to return to the international scene.
The midfield managed to hold the ball in the first 45 minutes but there was no defence splitting pass for the strikers, who had to rely on crosses from the flanks that seldom came. It has now been established that neither of the current crop would be able to fill in the shoes of Arman Miah, the last midfield genius in the country.
After Arup, a surprise choice in the right midfield, cut a dangerous low cross four minutes after resumption, an alert Sujan fended off the attack and Hassan Al Mamun's first-time volley on the rebound was parried by Nizam.
With Alfaz, Kanchan and Titu -- all part of Bangladesh's winning side in 2003 and the runners-up team two years later in Pakistan -- doing the hardwork, Wajed Gazi's Sporting got the better of the men donning the Nokia kit.
But Kanchan should have done better than delaying a shot after he got behind Saikat and Rajani with an accurate pass from Rony.
Alfaz then forced a fine save by Biplab, who took the gloves from Aminul who hurt his shoulder during warm-up, from a freekick and Titu's angled drive hit the post much to the relieve of the national camp.
Faisal came close to equalise five minutes from time as he sped past the sloppy national defence and also Biplab but he ran too wide to get the space for shooting.
The national team had their brilliant moments, too. Emily sent a through for substitute Komol who shot wide while Zahed Parvez set Sharif with a gem but the midfielder's effort was wild.
If the passes from the attacking midfielders do not dry up, Bangladesh will rue for poor finishing.
Sporting coach Gazi warned after the match that the national team must recover the 'leakage' quickly. "We have created and missed a few chances. But the opponents in the SAFF won't do that," said the veteran.
Yusuf, on the other hand, looked pleased.
"I thank the opposition for giving us a fighting match. We had a satisfactory first half but the opponents destroyed our plan later," said the former national defender.
"They were a bit rough and I told my boys not to take risks on a slippery pitch."
He admitted that the midfield should have generated more attack. "Yes, we lack a playmaker and the midfield needs more improvement."
Yusuf, who changed a number of players in the starting line-up from Thursday's warm-up match in Narshingdi, added: "I wanted to see everyone before our departure. I was not there to impress people, who came to watch the match," he commented towards the unhappy crowd.
"In Narshingdi, we played the pressing game. Today we tried to play with a wide field. We will work on the lacks we have."
TEAMS
National team: Biplab, Hassan Al Mamun, Rajani, Saikat, Waly, Arup, Joy, Mamun, Abul, Emily and Ujjal; subs: Zahed, Sharif, Komol.
Sporting Independent: Nizam, Titu, Shuvra, Sujan, Parvez, Monwar, Jony, Pappu, Jalal, Kanchan and Alfaz; subs: Faisal, Rony, Ramjan, Milon.