Bangladesh put up a dominating show in front of boisterous home crowd but lacked the finishing touch as they lost to Singapore 2-1 in their second AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying fixture at the newly-renovated National Stadium in Dhaka Tuesday.
The visitors scored in both the halves before Rakib Hossain pulled one back.
Canadian-Bangladeshi expatriate midfielder Shamit Shome made his debut for Bangladesh after deciding to switch allegiance two months ago.
The footwork Shamit showcased on a few occasions gave a hint that the 27-year old could entertain Bangladesh fans for days to come, especially in attacking midfield.
Javier Cabrera made three changes to the starting XI from last week’s Bhutan match as Shakil Ahad Topu and Mohammad Ridoy came into the side replacing Taj Uddin and Sohel Rana respectively while Shamit replaced Jamal Bhuiyan.
The hosts made some early build-ups but it was Singapore’s Song Uiyoung who went close in the eighth minute. He shot wide from close range to waste the chance.
Rakib also had an opportunity at the quarter-hour mark. It was a weak sliding effort after Shakil set him up inside the box. The ball went straight to the keeper.
Hamza took a free-kick in the 36th minute that flew inches over the bar.
Song frustrated the home crowd by netting the opener in the 45th minute. Hamza went close to blocking the attempt but the ball had already crossed the goal-line.
Ikhsan Fandi, who scored a brace against the Maldives last week, doubled the lead in the 58th minute. The forward found the net on a rebound as he rolled the ball in between the legs of Ridoy after Mitul Marma denied Hami Syahin’s initial attempt.
Rakib reduced the margin in the 67th minute, thanks to Hamza who delivered the final pass from midfield. Singapore’s Izwan Mahbud could have done better against Rakib’s soft touch towards the goal as it rolled below the keeper.
Bangladesh piled more pressure for the equalizer in the last 15 minutes with one corner after another, attacks on both wings and Hamza’s effort in the added time.
It was more a case of profligacy by the Bangladesh finishers than the heroics of Singapore defence throughout the encounter as Tariq Kazi’s header hitting the woodwork ended the game in a disappointing loss.
Meanwhile in the other match of Group C, India lost to hosts Hong Kong 1-0.
The top finisher of the group will qualify for the finals.
