Bangladesh Olympic team kicked off their Bangabandhu Gold Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Bahrain Under-20 side at the Shams-ul-Huda stadium in Jessore yesterday.
All goals came inside the first half hour with Yousuf Sifat opening the account for the hosts in the 19th minute before visiting skipper Jasim al Shaikh restored parity four minutes later.
Spaniard Gonzalo Sanchez Moreno fielded his experienced charges as veteran defender Rezaul Karim Reza partnered Kesto Kumar at the heart of the defence while Arup Kumar Baidya and Shakil completed the back four.
Sifat tapped home to give his side the lead after Rubel Miah’s cut-back inside the penalty area exposed the Bahrain defence. Reza however, failed to clear a low cross soon after as midfielder Shaikh capitalised on the mistake to slot home the equaliser.
“We should have won the game. We have two more games ahead and will try to rectify the mistakes and do better,” said Sifat whose goal on the day was his first international goal.
The Bangladesh attack since then found it difficult to operate against the tall Bahrain defenders even though the visitors were reduced to 10 players in the final minute of the game. Anwar Ali received his marching orders after his harsh tackle on Nahidul Islam Nahid in the 90th minute.
“The first match was tough but I’m happy with the team work. The players are yet to gain full fitness. The pitch condition was not good. The boys also played together for the first time so it’s normal to have some imbalance in the team,” said Bangladesh coach Moreno after the game.
- Source: Dhaka Tribune
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