Day left frustrated
Jamie Day expressed his frustration over the way Bangladesh conceded two goals against Palestine in the opening match of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
“It was very frustrating because we had possession of the ball after the throw-in. If we don’t let them out of the area as easy we did then they don’t counter and score. If we don’t give silly free-kicks away then we don’t concede the second. It’s frustrating because if you give such opportunities, they will punish you. We have to learn that going into the next game,” Day said at post-match press conference.
“We must avoid such silly mistakes against Sri Lanka. If we make the same mistakes like we did tonight, then we will be punished,” warned the 40-year-old coach.
Day, however, believes his charges fought well against Palestine enjoying good possession, but finishing made the difference in the match.
“Except for scoring the goals, the boys played well, put the ball in right area. Couple of boys were really very good. We knew it would be a tough game for us. So we know we have to beat Sri Lanka to go to the semifinals and there were lot of positive things to take from the game. However, we did not make a lot of chances to score while they had chances and they took those,” said Day, who believes the second-string Palestine team are a good enough outfit.
“Those who played today are good players. Whether you play against Palestine Olympic team or national team, it is always tough. The player who scored the goal is a good scorer for the national side. If you see the Palestine league and Bangladesh league, any player playing in Palestine league is technically better than Bangladeshi players. Their young players are coming through the system,” opined Day.
Palestine’s assistant coach Fahad Atel reiterated their confidence of winning the title despite 70 percent of the players being new.
“We have won the first match and now looking forward to win the second match,” Atel said. “We know how Bangladesh played and what is their playing style. So we knew we would win the match as we have experienced players.”
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