Bangladesh go down 2-1 against Singapore

Bangladesh suffered a 2-1 defeat to Singapore in their eagerly-waited AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture at the National Stadium in Dhaka last night, leaving 23,000-plus fans at the ground and millions across the country in deep dismay.

The match was hyped up as the biggest in years for the men in red and green, byoued by the inclusion of the likes of Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome, but the performance on the pitch in front of an expectant capacity crowd at the renovated National Stadium left a lot to be desired.

Although Rakib Hossain's 67th minute strike had given the hosts a chance of a comeback after going 2-0 down, and the confidence of applying heavy pressure on the visitors in the last 20 minutes, the equalising goal never came.

In fact Javier Cabrera's charges perhaps didn't deserve the one point that would have kept them firmly in the race for the Asian Cup, with India losing 1-0 to Hong Kong earlier in the day, and the frustration from the fans was evident when fans started throwing objects into the ground towars the end of the game.

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera had handed a maiden cap to Canada-based Shamit Shome in the starting XI, one of three changes from the side that won a recent friendly against Bhutan 2-0.

There were two changes in the midfield, with captain Jamal Bhuiyan and veteran Sohel Rana making way for Shamit and Mohammad Ridoy.

Shakil Ahad Topu replaced Taaj Uddin on the right-back position, but it was the decision to play Rakib as a No 9 with Quazem Shah operating on the right – the same modus operandi that the Spanish coach had opted for against Bhutan in the first half.

The move didn't work as neither Quazem nor Rakib looked comfortable in their adopted positions. But it was the overall lethargy and lack of cohesion among the midfield and the defence which hit the hosts hard. Needless to say that Singapore's simple game plan of quick attacks and punishing the opposition aerially worked wonderfully well for them, who now lead Group C with 4 points, level with Hong Kong.

Even though Bangladesh enjoyed better possession throughout the match, it was Singapore and their quickfeet and tall forwards who looked threatening whenever they had the ball at their feet.

Iskhan Fandi, Singapore's prolific striker, saw his header miss the target by a whisker in the 16th minute before forcing Bangladesh goalkeeper Mitul Marma to a fingertip save on the half-hour mark.

Singapore's tactical play paid off in the 44 th minute when Song Uiyong volleyed home from in front of goal after Harris Harun delivered a cross across the goal following a throw-in which Mitul could only half-clear.

The National Stadium was stunned into complete silence 12 minutes after restart when Fandi drilled home a powerful diagonal shot after Mitul's parry on a powerful shot from Hami Syahin came right into the foot of the towering Singapore striker.

Cabrera, under pressure, made a handful of changes and injected some speed into the attacks with fresh legs of Faysal Ahmed Fahim and Shahriar Emon, but it was Rakib's shot on a throughball from Hamza in the 67th minute  which gave Bangladesh a fighting chance in the game. Fahim's involvement almost paid dividends as the wingers was denied a penalty in the third minute of stoppage time when he was tackled down inside the box. The hosts had one final chance in the dying seconds of the game but couldn't take it as centre-back Tariq Kazi header went narrowly over the cross bar from a Sheikh Morsalin corner.