Headache remains over goal-scoring

The ridiculous fumble from goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel against Nepal was the most-discussed subject after Bangladesh failed to reach the semifinals of last month's SAFF Championship but there were hardly any discussions about the team's inability to find the back of the net in the remaining sixty-odd minutes during that match.

That lack of a goalscoring threat was highlighted again on Friday, when the men in red and green put up a spirited performance against Philippines in their final group match of the ongoing Bangabandhu Gold Cup in Sylhet but left the field with a 1-0 defeat. Despite dominating the match and carving out numerous opportunities, the strikers' inability to score saw them fail to reply to the Philippines' 24th-minute opener.

In the SAFF Championship, Bangladesh had played with a lone striker as they opted for a counter-attacking strategy, but it was centreback Tapu Barman who came up with the goods, scoring one each against Bhutan and Pakistan while promising forward Mahbubur Rahman Sufil struck once.

Bangladesh coach Jamie Day restrategised for the Bangabandhu Gold Cup and went with two strikers in a bid to get goals. However, again they failed to shine in the two group matches and it was winger Biplu Ahmed who scored the hosts' only goal in the tournament so far, striking against Laos to take Bangladesh to the semifinals.

The booters have so far played 75 matches over the past 10 years and have won only 16 matches while playing out 20 draws and losing on 39 occasions.

The men in red and green scored 58 goals during those matches at an average of 0.77 goals per game. At the same time, they have conceded 125 goals at an average of 1.66 goals per game.

While most of the goals were conceded to stronger teams like Australia, Japan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan during the qualifiers for the Russia World Cup and Asian Cup, Bangladesh also suffered massive defeats to Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Maldives in international friendlies.

Having analysed the statistics over the past 10 years, it was seen that a total of only 20 players have gotten their names on the score sheet with the strikers -- led by Zahid Hasan Emily's 11 goals -- logically atop the charts with 33 goals that accounted for 55% of the team's tally.

Midfielders have come up with only 15 goals (25 per cent), led by Zahid Hossain's four strikes and Mamunul Islam's three, while the defenders, led by Tapu Barman's three strikes, have come forward to score 10 times (16.67%).

Scoring has been a long-standing problem for Bangladesh at the international level and they have often been deprived of deserved wins due to the failure of strikers, who spend most of their time in domestic competitions on the bench to accommodate foreign players. That lack of game time leaves them befuddled when they enter the opposition box at the international level.

However, it was once a different scenario for local strikers who were regularly drafted into the playing eleven in domestic competitions.

Strikers such as Zahid Hasan Emily, Enamul Haque and Shakhawat Hossain Rony were as good at the international level as they were at the domestic one. Unfortunately, they failed to shine for a prolonged period as they lost their edge after being shifted out of position in domestic matches.

Current striker Mahabubur Rahman Sufil only drew attention last season after his exploits in the Independence Cup but he still needs time to hone his scoring abilities while Nabib Newaj Jibon has been an irregular striker for Abahani and has had no consistency at the international level.

Aside from strikers, defenders Tapu, Nasiruddin, Yeasin Khan and midfielders Zahid, Hemanta Vincent Biswas and Abdul Baten Komol have scored decisive goals in international matches as they do in domestic circuits.

It seems that the desperation for goals at the international level will continue for Bangladesh until everyone, from the strikers to the defenders, refine their skills in front of the net at the domestic level before making the step up.