Bangladesh football team head coach Javier Cabrera was delighted with the 1-0 away win over Cambodia in Thursday's FIFA friendly and reminded that his side are tough to beat despite dominance from the opponents.
Cambodia, who are 16 places above Bangladesh in the latest FIFA rankings, enjoyed majority of ball possession throughout the match but it was Cabrera's charges who had the last laugh.
“Obviously very happy with the win. We knew it was going to be very difficult to get the control from Cambodia. Their technical level is very high. We wanted to try as much as possible. We knew we had to adapt,” Cabrera said during the post-match press conference.
“We would have liked to have a different context with more control on the ball but we were competitive. In this level of competition for us we are a tough team to beat. That's the reality.
“I'm very proud of the team with the young talents we have. It was difficult to play against the type of football Cambodia play but we were competitive. These young players need more of such context to improve. From our side, it was an excellent game.”
Mojibur Rahman Jony netted the only goal of the game which was his first international strike.
The midfielder said, “It was coach's tactics which I managed to execute. I'm very happy.”
He added, “It was good for the team to have a match like this before the SAFF Championship. Hopefully we will perform at the same level in SAFF. I want to score and assist there.”
Bangladesh team manager Amer Khan said their job in Cambodia is accomplished before heading to Bengaluru, India for the SAFF Championship, kicking off this Wednesday.
He also added that the team managed to handle the pressure of the home crowd who filled the 30,000- capacity stadium.
Amer said, “This win would bolster the team spirit. We also won a practice match here. I think our mission in Cambodia is successful. Now we are going to the SAFF with good preparation.”
