Coming from 3-0 down to win a game is rare occasion in any part of the football world and whenever such comeback takes place it’s memory remains intact among the football lovers for long time. The most popular example of such comeback reminiscent was perhaps Liverpool’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ in 2005. More than thousand matches were played in the Champions League since then but the memory of Istanbul remained in people’s mind forever.
Bangladesh U-18 team’s dramatic comeback against India on Monday will also excite the country’s football enthusiasts for quite a long time. Bangladesh senior national team never managed to make such comeback but due to lack of records it is tough to say if it ever happened in any youth team or in country’s top-flight league. Dhaka Tribune talked to a number of football stakeholders of Bangladesh but none of them remember any story like this.
Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin was himself a player during the 1960s and 70s. He also coached the national team after the retirement in late 1980s. Salahuddin, who also has been holding BFF’s top post in the last nine years, said, “I don’t remember if we had ever managed to win a game after going 3-0 down. Very happy. The boys played very well. Bangladesh football is in a development process. It will take time but the latest result showed that we are on the right track.”
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Former national coach Golam Sarwar Tipu said, “It’s a very good news for the country’s football. The result is a sign that our boys also can make such comeback. I’m not sure if such comeback ever happened in club football but I don’t remember if the national team had such records before. It happened that we came back to the game from 1-0 or 2-0 down but from 3-0 down it is remarkable incident in Bangladesh football.”
Chittagong Abahani winger Jafar Iqbal was the hero of Bangladesh’s remarkable comeback as he scored twice and assisted one while other scorer Mahbubur Rahman Shohan also from the same club. Jafar played for Arambagh last season when Saiful Bari Titu was the head coach. Titu took Jafar with him when he also moved to Chittagong Abahani.
Titu also failed to remember if Bangladesh ever made such comeback. He went on to say, “It’s an unbelievable comeback. There are six players in the team who was also part of Bangladesh squad during the Saff U19 Championship in 2015 including Badsha, Bishwanath, Rahmat Mia, Al-Amin and Sohan. They have been playing in the league and different national youth team for long time. They are mature. They are the future of senior national team. But they should also keep the consistency as well.”
Golam Rabbani Choton, who returned Dhaka on Monday evening from Thailand after a memorable campaign in the AFC U16 Women’s Championship, was also surprised to see the breakdown of the results. “No doubt it was an exciting match. I don’t think if any team from Bangladesh ever won a game after coming from three-goal deficit. It’s a huge record for country’s football.”
Thursday, April 25, 2024
