Bangladesh midfielder Sanjida, whose calm penalty in the 69th minute turned to be the match winner against Jordan, was equally bold during the post match briefing at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
The teenager from Tangail said, “I am very happy. I did not recall any particular person, but I thought that I have scored the goal for the people of the country.
“I was not afraid to take the spot kick. I chose to shoot towards the left side. I have been practising it for the last five days and I was confident of hitting the back of the net,” said Sanjida.
The confidence with which the Bangladeshi girls took the field was also felt in the words of player of the match Mousumi. “We thought it simple. Jordan players are also girls. We were not afraid of them. When we took the field we felt that we could beat them and we did it,” said Mousumi.
Coach Golam Rabbani Choton hailed the teamwork and said he motivated the players by asking them to play “For the country, for their parents and for women’s football.”
“To be frank I also never expected the result. Bangladesh beat a team that declared themselves as a title contender. It was a perfect teamwork from all the players,” he expressed.
“I told them you have to show your worth. You have to fight. You don’t get all the facilities like your opponents but you have the potential. You are playing at your home. I am satisfied to see the teamwork,” added Choton.
Choton also termed the success the best of his career and in women’s football. “It is the best day of my coaching career and I think this is the biggest success in women’s football. Jordan are ranked 57th in the world whereas we are 117th among 132 nations.”
The joy, however, will not shift the focus of the team as Choton revealed they will not take UAE lightly. “We want to go match by match and extend the run of success,” he added.
Meanwhile the defeat was probably too much to handle for Jordan head coach Manar Ahmad al Fraij as he did not appear in the post match. Instead he sent assistant coach Haya M Qatami who took time to settle in front of the packed press people. “I am surprised to see this Bangladesh. I did not expect it. Bangladesh played good. I am not happy with my team’s performance,” said Haya.
She also added that her charges felt disturbed with the pitch and failed to rise to the occasion though they always look to give their best.