Under-18 football team takes on hosts Bhutan today with a hope of winning the game that is a must for them to lift the title of inaugural SAFF Under-18 Championship.
The crucial encounter between two title contenders will kick-off at 4:00pm Bangladesh Standard Time at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu.Four teams out of five got an equal chance of lifting the title after Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan each earned six points from their respective three matches.
Bangladesh, who were in top position of the points table following their two straight wins against India and the Maldives, made the things complicated after suffering a shocking 1-2 defeat against Nepal in their last match on Monday.
A win against Bhutan won’t be enough for the boys in Red and Green because they will also have to depend on the outcome of the other match between Nepal and India.
If Bangladesh beat Bhutan and India defeat Nepal or the match ends in a draw then Bangladesh will clinch the title and India will become runners-up.
But if Nepal beat India, then a win against Bhutan will become useless for Bangladesh as the winners of the head-to-head format will win the title.
Bhutan also have same equation as if they beat Bangladesh and Nepal beat India then the home side will be crowned champions.
Bangladesh head coach Mahbub Hossain Roxy, however, said they were not thinking much over the equation as his charges were eager to finish with a win.
‘We know all four teams have equal chance of lifting the title but we are not thinking much about the title because our main target is to finish the campaign with a win,’ Roxy told New Age over phone on Tuesday.
‘Somehow we lost to Nepal in the last match. Sometimes you need luck to win a match. In the last match, we wasted at least four scoring chances within first 15 minutes.’
Roxy also said that he hoped that India would win against Nepal.
‘Firstly we have to beat Bhutan in the first match then we must wait for a draw or a win of India,’ Roxy said.
‘Though we beat India, I still believe that they are the best team in this tournament and they came here with a great preparation. I think India would also want to finish the campaign with a win.
‘But all depends on how we overcome the Bhutan barrier. I told my charges not to think much about the title.
‘Bhutan played defensively in their last three matches. But India cracked their defence by playing high pressing football.
‘We will also try to play attacking football from the beginning against
Bhutan.’
-With New Age input
