Yet another last-gasp strike broke the hearts of the Bangladesh fans as the men in red and green were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by 10-man Tajikistan in the 2018 Fifa World Cup second round qualifier at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
With overall domination and better ball-possession, Bangladesh enjoyed one of their finest first-half performances in recent years. Jahid Hasan Ameli’s tap-in early in the second half not only gave the home side the lead but also provided immense joy to the weekday crowd who braved rain to watch their beloved team play. Tajikistan midfielder Fathulloev Fathullo however, spoiled all the fun as he bagged the equaliser two minutes before the end of stipulated time.
Bangladesh, ranked 27 places below Tajikistan in the Fifa rankings, registered a near-perfect performance and were it not for the late equaliser, the hosts would have remembered this performance for a long time to come.
The home side were in total control of the game with their neat passing and solid defensive performance, and duly took the lead in the 50th minute. A precise Mamunul Islam free-kick slightly touched Hemanta Vincent Biswas’ head, beat the Tajikistan goalkeeper and fell kindly at the feet of Ameli. The veteran striker made no mistake tapping in although replays suggested the ball had already crossed the goalline before Ameli’s intervention.
Ameli however, soon turned from hero to villain as it was his foul in the 88th minute which led to Tajikistan’s equaliser. Fathullo, stepping in to take the set piece, calmly slotted away the free-kick as Bangladesh goalkeeper Russel Mahmud Liton, who had a brilliant day up until that point, was left stranded.
Bangladesh made three changes to the starting XI that lost to Kyrgyzstan 3-1 last Wednesday at the same venue. Rayhan Hasan and Nasirul Islam Nasir came in place of centre-back Nasir Uddin Chowdhury and right-back Yeamin Ahmed while Jewel Rana, who made his debut against Singapore in a Fifa international friendly last month, replaced veteran striker Enamul Haque in the right wing. The changes worked perfectly as the Bangladesh defence put in an impressive shift while Jewel was arguably the best performer yesterday.
Tajikistan boast 10 players in their starting XI who play for the same club, local giants Istiqlol, one of the leading clubs in the region. The visitors however, altered their team chemistry and brought in four new players to the starting XI that lost 3-1 to Jordan at home last week with Tukhtasunov, Sharipov, Akhtam and Dzhalilov replacing Ergashev, Rabimov, Vasiev and Radzhabov.
Jewel sparkled from the very beginning and continuously exhibited his skills down the right wing. Mamunul, meanwhile, put up yet another dazzling display despite not being fully fit. The talismanic midfielder split the opposition defence several times with his neat through passes.
After taking the lead, Bangladesh slowly adopted the defensive strategy and tried to hold on to the slender margin even though Tajikistan were reduced to 10 men in the 68th minute. Some late pressure from the visitors however, proved to be the home side’s undoing.
