Hamza said We should have won.
Even before the Lebanese referee Hussein Abo blew the final whistle, the Indians were in a bad mood. They had to return home with a goalless draw after seeing the victory! The one who had the most expectations, Sunil Chhetri, could not do anything to say. He took a header in the last moment of the match, but it did not have much power.
Chhetri was almost a shadow of himself in the match. India was not at all happy with the star’s failure to shine on the home field and the goalless draw of the entire team. In the words of coach Manalo Marquez, ‘India played a bad match.’
The opposite picture was in the Bangladesh camp. Despite missing several goal opportunities, Bangladesh played strong football. India was ahead in ball possession, also dominated the midfield. But Bangladesh created goal opportunities. Everyone in the Bangladesh camp was smiling. Bangladesh had a happy night. Rafia Chowdhury will never forget this night at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. While leaving after watching his son Hamza’s debut match for Bangladesh, he told Prothom Alo, “This is just the beginning. There is something better ahead. The Bangladesh team did very well. We are very happy to see the match.”
Hamza’s wife Olivia Chowdhury also has the same feeling. She has a wide smile on her face. This draw in the away match is equivalent to a victory for Bangladesh. Olivia said, “I am very happy. Hamza played well. The Bangladesh team also played well. This is the game we were expecting. Our hopes have been fulfilled.” After the match, journalists surrounded Hamza Chowdhury, who made his debut for Bangladesh, in the mixed zone. He is fulfilling all the expectations that were expected of him. Hamza is excited about his and the team’s performance. However, he believes that Bangladesh deserved the victory, “We are missing something. We can miss something in football. We miss something in the English Premier League too. So we have to accept it. It was a bad day for us. But we should have won.’ Hamza’s expression of emotion at that time when the national anthem was played was a little different. For the first time, such a feeling has motivated him to play better. Wishing the countrymen Eid, Hamza said, ‘I am proud to have been able to play for Bangladesh. But it is not over with a draw. We want to go a long way.’ In Bangladesh’s other group match, Singapore-Hong Kong drew goalless yesterday. Now all four teams have one point each. The group’s top team will go to the final round of the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in 2027. Bangladesh has also started dreaming of reaching the final round. Coach Javier Cabrera said the thing he had been keeping in his mind for so long after the draw today. He said in a press conference, ‘We got one point in the away match. We missed many opportunities in the first half. We should have won. Anyway, we hope to play in the Asia Cup. After today, that seems possible.’
He is also happy with Hamza, ‘He played well. He played according to the level from which he came. Others helped him.’
The Bangladesh team did not give India much opportunity. This is the big achievement from this match. The regret of wasting goals is actually giving the team a sense of victory. India could have been eliminated from the match in the first half itself. Indian journalists praised the Bangladesh team. They said that those who can play such eye-catching football in the away match, there is no reason for that team not to do better in the future.
Bangladesh’s next match against Singapore is on June 10 in Dhaka. Hamza-Tapura will return home from Shillong tomorrow with confidence fuel for that match.
