Booters return 'wiser'

The Bangladesh football team returned home in the early hours today after their Australian mission and will get no time to linger on their performance as they immediately start preparing for the September 8 fixture against Jordan at home. The Jordanians, who were held to a goalless draw by Kyrgyzstan on the same night, are scheduled to arrive here by afternoon today.

While Bangladesh's 0-5 defeat at the hands of the Socceroos proved to be a baptism by fire, the men in red and green by no means humiliated themselves, especially when one considers the fate of some of the lower-ranked Asian teams on the night. Qatar's 15-0 bashing of Bhutan showed how yawning the gap is between the top-tier and the lowest-tier nations in Asia is. The sane script was enacted elsewhere as UAE thrashed Malaysia 10-0, Kuwait outplayed Myanmar 9-0, Korea put eight past Laos, Saudi Arabia mauled newcomers East Timor by seven goals while Iran brought down a high-flying Guam team with a 6-0 drubbing.

Bangladesh Football Federation Kazi Salahuddin felt the scoreline for Bangladesh was not at all lamentable.

“The result is all right because the team Bangladesh played against (Australia) spends millions of dollars every month (on their players and coaching staff). Our players tried their best in this match and I think we will be able to reach a certain level with collective effort,” said the BFF boss yesterday.

Skipper Mamunul Islam felt the speed and the pressing football of the opposition proved their undoing.

“We were awestruck by the speed of the Socceroos in the beginning and by the time we got used to it, we were already down by four goals and there was not much to salvage,” said Mamunul while talking to reporters on the eve the team's departure from Perth.  

While Bangladesh conceded five goals, goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel made sure the margin of defeat stayed at a decent level by making a string of fine saves.

“We all were nervous from the beginning and could not understanding what was happening. It was tough to understand the situation after conceding so many goals right at the start. I was thinking of not going down mentally. We tried to slow down the pace of the game, which gave us some footing in the second half,” said Sohel.

Head coach Lodewijk de Kruif, who watched the match from stands due to a touchline ban, said this experience will auger well for future as the players will be able to take pressure in big matches.

“We have to understand the reality. The result is understandable because we were playing against a top team. Now the boys can absorb the pressure in big matches and it will be easier for them to play against lower ranked teams,” said de Kruif.