Desk Report:
In a span of 4 months, coach Golam Rabbani Choton has taken two age-based teams of Bangladesh to the final. In both, India was the opponent. Bangladesh lost in a tiebreaker in the final of the SAFF Under-19 Championship last May. Captain Nazmul Huda Faisal was shocked that day after missing a penalty. The responsibility of leadership in the Under-17 Championship is also on his shoulders. The opportunity to put a little plaster on that wound is approaching him.
Bangladesh and India will face each other today in the title fight of the SAFF Under-17 Championship at the Race Course Stadium in Colombo. The match will start at 6:30 pm Bangladesh time. Bangladesh lost 2-0 in the final of the same tournament last year. The opponent is none other than India. For Bangladesh, this final is also a revenge in a sense.
Bangladesh has not conceded a single goal in the tournament so far. In the group stage, they defeated hosts Sri Lanka and Nepal 4-0 and entered the semi-finals. Faisal-Rifatra defeated Pakistan 2-0 and secured their place in the title race.
Like Bangladesh, India also made it to the finals quite easily. They won all three of their three matches in the group stage. Then they crushed Nepal 3-0 in the semi-finals. However, Choton does not want to let India have such an attack in the final. Bangladesh coach said, “India is definitely a challenging team. We have a chance here too. Our preparation is good. If the boys can play according to the plan, we have a big chance to reach the goal. When they play high-line football, there is a lot of space behind them. When the opportunity comes, we have to use it.”
Captain Faisal also does not want to disappoint the fans, “We will take the field to fulfill the expectations of the people of Bangladesh.”
A few others have experience playing in this tournament like Faisal. In that case, Indian captain Danny Singh is putting Bangladesh ahead, “Bangladesh plays football very physically. They are ahead in terms of experience. Because only one player in our team has played this tournament before. But when they play with physical strength, we will respond with our own tactics on the field.’
While respecting Bangladesh, Indian coach Bibiano Fernandes is more confident in himself, saying, ‘Bangladesh is a balanced team. We respect their quality. The most important thing is to stick to our style of play and have confidence in the way we have been playing throughout the tournament.’
