A 24-member Bangladesh Under-23 national team left Dhaka for South Korea on Sunday night to take part in the upcoming Asian Games with the aim to perform as a unit against some of their more illustrious opponents. Bangladesh will face Afghanistan in their first group match on September 15 before facing Uzbekistan and Hong Kong on September 18 and 22 respectively.To adapt to the condition of South Korea the team left seven days before the start of the football event, which kicks off on September 14, though the official opening of the Games will be held on September 19 in Incheon.
The Bangladesh national football team have never qualified for the second round in the games. In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, they conceded three defeats against Uzbekistan (0-3), UAE (0-3) and Hong Kong (1-4).
Their only two wins came against Nepal and the Philippines in their 19 appearances so far in the competition.
So like before, it will also be a tough task in Incheon for the Lodewijk de Kruif boys. And coach de Kruif has set a target for his charges – be organised and play as a team.
‘If you ask about the target, there is always a dream of earning points. But our first target is to have a well organised side with a good game plan and players with good behaviours,’ said de Kruif at a press conference at the BFF House of Sunday.
De Kruif has full faith in his charges and hopes that they will follow his game plan to restrict the higher ranked opponents.
‘If the boys can stick to my plan for the 90 minutes, I am sure we can collect some points there. The team is ready to earn points and they also know how to play,’ said the Dutchman.
The Under-23 team played a total six preparation matches during their more than one-month long training camp at the BKSP, where they won four matches and lost one against Nepal Under-23 national team and drew the other with a selected Dhaka XI.
‘I am happy with the five weeks of preparation but we are in a tough group comprising Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Hong Kong, who are also higher ranked sides than us,’ said De Kruif.
‘I can’t promise you anything but we are going there to achieve something. It is a challenge for the boys to prove their worth,’ added De Kruif.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Mamunul Islam was worried over the lack consistency of the team as he thinks they failed to impress in their preparation matches against Nepal and three weaker opponents – Dhaka XI, Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Police.
‘Inconsistency is the main problem of this team. So, we will be looking to overcome this and try to perform more consistently to bring some good results for the nation,’ said Mamunul.
-With New Age input
