Exceptional Hamza a great addition to Bangladesh: Bhutan coach

Hamza Choudhury's presence clearly made a difference in Bangladesh's 2-0 win over Bhutan in a FIFA friendly at the National Stadium on Wednesday, and that fact was made clear by what Bhutan coach Atsushi Nakamura had to say following the game.

Bangladesh had lost one and won the other -- both by the same 1-0 margin -- in their previous two FIFA friendlies against Bhutan in September last year. According to Nakamura, Bangladesh have improved significantly since those encounters in Thimphu.

"Compared to last time, Bangladesh played better football. Hamza was exceptional," Nakamura said at the post-match press conference.

Hamza, who made his home debut yesterday after making his international debut for Bangladesh in March against India in Shillong, opened the scoring with a towering header from a corner delivered by Jamal Bhuiyan in the sixth minute, sending the jam-packed crowd at the venue into wild celebrations.

"Not only a goal, but he [Hamza] gave great support. He was a great addition to the team. It was a very tough game for Bhutan, not only because of Hamza, but also because of the other Bangladeshi players," the Bhutan coach added.

Nakamura had earlier described Bangladesh as the best team in South Asia, now that they possess a player of Hamza's calibre, with experience playing in top-tier English leagues.

Explaining exactly what had changed in Bangladesh's game since their last meeting, Nakamura said: "A lot of changes for Bangladesh from the last game. My feeling is that last time they wanted to kick from the back. But this time, they used passes. Their skill and power surprised me. Bhutan had to struggle in the midfield area."

Hamza, however, played only 45 minutes, as Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera rested key players after the break, opting for several changes to test combinations ahead of the high-stakes World Cup qualifier against Singapore at home on June 10.

Meanwhile, Bhutan coach Nakamura also commented on how the fans -- witnessing an international fixture at the National Stadium for the first time in four years -- had made it even harder for his side.

"It was quite tough with spectators like this. They made a lot of noise. It was quite expected," he said.