Country’s sports superstar Hamza Choudhury netted on his debut on home soil as Bangladesh outplayed Bhutan 2-0 in a FIFA international friendly at the newly-renovated National Stadium in Dhaka Wednesday.
The England-based expatriate midfielder debuted in Bangladesh jersey away to India during the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Shillong last March.
Hamza was uncertain to start after arriving in Dhaka two days earlier but slotted straight into defensive midfield and gave Bangladesh an early lead.
Javier Cabrera also fielded Fahamedul Islam in the starting XI, giving the Italian expatriate forward his much-awaited debut.
Fahamedul was in the preliminary list for the India game but later excluded from the final squad.
Canadian expatriate Syed Shah Quazem Kirmanee also got first-team call.
Five expatriates made it into the starting XI - captain Jamal Bhuiyan and defender Tariq Kazi alongside Hamza, Fahamedul and Quazem.
Rakib Hossain started as centre forward with Fahamedul and Qauzem on the wings.
The forwards kept Bhutan defense busy at the beginning.
Hamza saw his first shot from the d-box blocked by Bhutan’s defence.
Shortly afterwards, Jamal’s corner met him at the middle of the box and Hamza headed home in the sixth minute to record his first goal for Bangladesh.
The home crowd cheered for Hamza every time the star booter touched the ball.
Bangladesh continued to press more after the half-hour mark.
Fahamedul had a shot saved by the keeper Gyeltshen Zangpo. Jamal had a good chance after collecting a cross from Quazem but the effort was blocked too.
Hamza did not appear in the second half and was replaced by Mohammad Ridoy.
Cabrera made two more substitutions at the break as Sheikh Morsalin and Mohammad Ibrahim came in to bolster the attacking line.
Morsalin shot straight at the keeper in the third minute.
Sohel Rana doubled the lead with a blistering left-footed strike from around 20 yards out in the 49th minute.
The visitors could rarely produce a notable goalscoring opportunity until substitute Jigme Namgyal went close against Bangladesh keeper Mitul Marma in the 90th minute.
Otherwise, the home side dominated the match most of the time.
The stands were almost packed. Spectators started gathering at the stadium gate more than two hours before kick-off, fan craze not seen in recent times.
The main hype was for Hamza. Two spectators came off the gallery into the ground area. One ran straight to the dugout bench where Hamza was sitting. He tried to take a selfie before security personnel got hold of the guy and took him away. The other was caught before reaching the field or technical area.
With this friendly encounter, Cabrera’s charges geared up for their next Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore, set to be held at the same venue on June 10.
Canadian expatriate midfielder Shamit Shome is likely to make his debut in Bangladesh jersey against Singapore.
He landed in Dhaka Wednesday and watched the match from the stands.
With Hamza and Shamit, Bangladesh will see one of its strongest line-ups ever.
