‘They took their chances, we didn’t’
Bangladesh head coach Jamie Day said that goal-scoring ability, or lack thereof, was what made the difference in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Burundi in the second semifinal of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup yesterday.
“Ability to take chances was the difference between the two sides. We played good football with good ball possession and created chances but Burundi scored from the opportunities they got while we didn’t. That was the problem,” said a gloomy Day during the post-match press conference at the BFF House yesterday.
Nshimirimana Jospin struck a hattrick to take the match away from Bangladesh, whose half a dozen chances were either squandered or thwarted by Burundi goalkeeper Ndizeye Aime Fales.
“We did very well aside from not scoring goals. We conceded two goals in the last five minutes of the first half, which was disappointing.
“We played very well in the second half and got enough chances to score but unfortunately the players could not capitalise,” said the 40-year-old.
Day went on to explain why Bangladesh conceded the first two goals.
“I think we played good for the first 40 minutes. Then we conceded twice. The midfielders gave away the ball, sloppy passes that were unnecessary. We gave Jospin too much time in the box. We got the same chances but could not score.”
However, Day believes the scenario could have been different had Bangladesh availed the opportunities they created in the second half.
“If he [Saad Uddin] scored at the start of the second half, the scenario could have been different. I couldn’t blame anyone if it was a 2-1 margin cause then we could have scored another before the game was finished with the third goal,” continued Day, who blamed the domestic football structure for not properly grooming the forwards.
“If we want to continue to do better, we must start scoring goals. We got more chances than Burundi, who however scored three goals while we did not. The players were in one-on-one positions, had free headers and an open net but could not convert. It is disappointing finish,” Day said.
“We need to re-structure the league. If we want to improve goal-scoring, the league structure needs to be changed. I personally believe two local players should be given chances along with two foreign players to bring the changes.”
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