Bangladesh Under-23 football team will make history if they can overcome the challenge of Hong Kong in their third and final Group B match in the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, today. A win in the match, which will start at 2:00pm Bangladesh Standard Time at the Hwaseong Sports Complex, will see Bangladesh through to the second round for the first time. Hong Kong, however, need just a draw to qualify after holding Uzbekistan and beating Afghanistan 2-1 in their previous two matches.
Bangladesh, who beat Afghanistan 1-0 to post their first win in 28 years, can also qualify with a draw provided their South Asian counterparts beat group leaders Uzbekistan by a big margin in the other match.
Bangladesh coach Lodewijk de Kruif was taking inspiration from the Afghanistan win and a spirited show against the Uzbeks, which saw them holding firm in the second half after going down 0-3 inside 34 minutes of the fist half.
‘The boys did very good in the last two matches,’ de Kruif told reporters in Incheon on Sunday. ‘We were able to beat Afghanistan though they are a better team. And in the second match, the boys fought for full 90 minutes and were better in the second half.
‘[But] now the statistic is we have collected three points, which means tomorrow’s game is very important for us. If we can collect three points, we go into the second round. If we settle with one point or lose the game we will get out of the tournament.
‘Still I am proud of my boys because they did very well upto today. When you have a chance to go to the second round, you have to avail it and not let it go away. It is not the story we attack and attack tomorrow without any idea.’
The Dutch coach firmly believed Hong Kong are beatable despite them winning convincingly against the Afghans.
‘We saw the Hong Kong matches, I think the possibility is there though they are a better and organised team but it is a 90-minute game. So you will always have your chance,’ he said.
‘They (Hong Kong) were totally down in the last 20 minutes [against Afghanistan], so there is weakness of Hong Kong. But we have to admit they are very strong side with a lot of possibilities.
‘When we collect three points against them, it will be a miracle.’
Kruif urged his charges to give something extra in order to make history.
‘It is fantastic challenge. They already won the first game in 28 years but I am not busy with that one. I am focused on the team’s tactical organisation,’ he said. ‘Of course I will tell the boys to play for the nation and give one or two percent extra…it is once in a lifetime opportunity.’
-With New Age input
