Rakib thanks ‘unbelievable’ home fans

As Bangladesh defeated Maldives 3-2 on aggregate to secure their spot in the World Cup Qualifiers for the third successive time, the men in red and green seemed to be celebrating endlessly, even fifteen minutes after the final whistle of the second leg match.

Forward Rakib Hossain and Faisal Ahmed Fahim, two Bangladesh scores on the evening, removed their jerseys to hold the national flags, as well as the Palestine flag.

The players went on to celebrated with their coaching staff, and they were tossed in the air one by one to celebrate the victory – one that was termed as "the final of the year".

"It was a tactical game. We played in line with our plan, and they played in line with theirs," Rakib remarked after the game.

"We had some chances after taking the lead, but I also missed a few. However, we were determined not to upset our home crowd. We strived to offer our all in every position."

"If you work hard, you will achieve your goals. We've been working incredibly hard together for a long time. We had no stars on the team but we played as a unit."

"We had a belief that we could do something better together, especially after playing out a draw in Male," said the forward, who gave Bangladesh a lead in the 11th minute.

Rakib also thanked the home crowd for making the Bashundhara Kings Arena a full house.

"Eleven of us fought on the ground, while supporters backed us up beyond it. Six months ago, attendance was poor due to our inability to generate results, but we produced some good results during the SAFF Championship, as well as in matches against Cambodia and Afghanistan.

"So, they are coming to watch our games, and we did not want to disappoint the fans, who were unbelievable today with the way they cheered for us throughout the match," Rakib added, adding that he and his teammates would like to think about World Cup Qualifiers matches after fulfilling their club commitments.