A night of resilience, sacrifice, and rare emotion unfolded at the National Stadium on Tuesday as Bangladesh edged India 1–0 to claim their first win of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying campaign.
But beyond the decisive goal and the defensive grit, it was Hamza Choudhury’s voice — calm, humble, and visibly moved — that captured the spirit of the victory.
Hamza, who anchored Bangladesh’s midfield and produced the game’s defining defensive moment with an open-net clearance in the 31st minute, spoke openly after the match about the collective struggle behind the result.
“It feels very good. Alhamdulillah, we finally won,” he said with a smile. “I just joined the camp at the end. The coach, the coaching staff, and the players have been here for 23 days… 500 plus hours, away from their families, working hard for the nation. I just came in late — me and Shamarh — and we tried to add a bit of quality, a bit of mentality.”
The Leicester City FA Cup winner highlighted how Bangladesh had played well in earlier matches but faltered at crucial moments. “In the last four games we dominated possession, we showed the tactical side. But at the last hurdle we fell. Today was the complete opposite. Maybe we weren’t so good with the ball, but we showed we can be resilient. Now it’s time to put the two together.”
Asked whether this victory ranked alongside his historic Wembley triumph with Leicester, Hamza didn’t hesitate: “For different reasons, for sure. There are 180 million people we made happy today — you can’t compete with that anywhere else. So yes, it’s definitely right up there with the FA Cup win.”
Reporters also praised his game-saving clearance, a moment many fans described as “almost a goalkeeper’s save.” Hamza accepted the compliment lightly, keeping the focus on the collective effort: “Of course, it feels good. But this is a final in itself. People wait 23 years for wins like this. We’ve been putting in the performances — now we needed the result. Today the result came even without the perfect performance.”
When asked whether luck favoured him during that clearance, he responded with a smile: “Oh, you make your own luck. And with Allah’s mercy, we won. Now we build again in March and, Inshallah, put the performance and result together.”
On a night of relief and belief, Hamza’s words echoed the emotion of a nation — proud, patient, and ready to dream again.