Bangladesh captain Mamunul Islam hopes his team will raise their standard and match the Bangabandhu Gold Cup contender’s Thailand when they face each other in the second semifinal tomorrow. The talismanic midfielder termed the Thais as the best team in the six-nation mega event and wants everyone to give more than hundred percent in the crucial tie.
“Thailand is the strongest team in my opinion,” Mamunul said after completing their practice session at the Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club ground yesterday. “They are quick and they are very good in set pieces, we have been closely observing them in the last couple of days,” he added.
The playmaker also informed a strategy they will be following which is “not to let them (Thailand) play according to their plans.”
“We have to work hard and stand strong with what we have, we are not afraid of them, we are focused to put our best and we believe its not impossible to be in the final,” said Mamunul.
Witnessing their practice session it was not hard to tell that the home side are covering all the bases before the match. Apart from free-kicks and corners, Mamunul and Co also took the spot for penalty practice as the captain informed, “We will not leave any stone unturned, we will take less risks and try to posses the ball as much as possible, the extra time and the shootout are not out of the list, we may have to go through it, we are not taking anything lightly.”
The urge of keeping the success story rolling was very much present in the mind of the captain. “We know the importance of the match, we will try our best to put a good show and win it, being in the final is very important for us and also for the country, lets see what happens,” uttered the Bangladesh skipper.
Meanwhile, experienced defender Atikur Rahman Mishu is all set to miss the crucial tie with a muscle injury. “I ran today (yesterday) but did not feel fully comfortable, the chance of taking the field is very low,” said Mishu who also missed the match against Sri Lanka.
