'Don't want to make a mistake like Sohel's'
Even though Ashraful Islam Rana looked short in confidence in the opener of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup against Laos, the 30-year-old Bangladesh goalkeeper does not want to repeat the mistake his teammate Shahidul Alam Sohel made against Nepal during the SAFF Championship last month.
The exclusion of Sohel, who made a terrible blunder against Nepal in the SAFF Championship which effectively ruled his team out for running for the semifinals, has paved the way for Rana to show his worth as the first-choice keeper in the ongoing tournament.
“I made a few silly mistakes in the first match against Laos. I watched video of those mistakes and I had a talk with the coach. Today (Wednesday) the coach worked with me to rectify those mistakes,” Rana said after returning to training at the Sylhet BKSP yesterday, having enjoyed rest on Tuesday following their 1-0 win over Laos.
“I didn't have any pressure from the beginning of that match. I don't like to take any pressure but I prefer challenge. I don't want to make the same mistake that Sohel made against Nepal though that was part of the game,” said Rana, who is likely to stand under the post for the home side in their second and final group match against Philippines.
Rana is, however, confident about performing better in the second match as he has a good understanding with the defence as he has played a total of eight matches with these defenders except for Wali Faisal.
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