BD ‘regret not having done better’
Bangladesh coach Golam Rabbani Choton regretted the side’s failure to extend their margin of victory in yesterday’s 2-0 win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Bangamata U-19 Women’s International Gold Cup opener at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
“Our target was first to win the match and display better football to enthral the spectators and I think the girls did their job well by dominating throughout the match,” said Choton at the post-match press conference. “The girls exposed their (UAE’s) backline numerous time but could not cash in on the opportunities and that is a matter of regret for us.”
Bangladesh scored 17 goals in total against UAE’s U-16 women’s team in their last three meetings [6-0, 4-0 and 7-0] in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers but yesterday, they had to be satisfied with a slim 2-0 win, thanks to a lack of composure in the attacking third.
“I think the situation has improved a lot compared to the past as the girls had tried to hold the ball in the attacking and exchanged passes among them in the danger zone but unfortunately they could not get goals. Besides, there was a lack of concentration from striker Sirat Jahan Swapna, who should have slotted a hattrick,” Choton said. “We will have to work more on finishing to get rid of this problem and the players have to be more concentrated on attack.
Krishna Rani was adjudged the most valuable player of the match, however, she surely regrets all the missed opportunities as well being caught in the offside trap numerous times.
Meanwhile, UAE coach Houriya Al Taheri seemed happy about at least keeping a respectable margin of defeat.
“I really enjoyed the match, especially the way the girls showed the fighting attitude throughout the match,” Taheri said. “We played against Bangladesh before, so we know how well Bangladesh play and how my team play. The match was really enjoyable for me.”
In reply to a query, Taheri said, “I don’t see any difference in the Bangladesh team since we played against them in last September but I can say that my team have improved a lot.”