Bangladesh ready to ‘dominate’ South Asia: Topu

Bangladesh had to settle for a draw against hosts Hong Kong in their Asian Cup Qualifying away match, but it was not enough to keep their qualification chances alive. During a stopover in Thailand on the way home, stand-in captain and defender Topu Barman spoke to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about the team's recent journey, their upcoming matches, and more. The excerpts are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): How do you evaluate the team's performance against Hong Kong?

Topu Barman (TB): We are proud of the way we dominated them in such an electrifying atmosphere in front of a full-house crowd [at Kai Tak Stadium], especially as many of the new players were not used to performing in that kind of situation. Hong Kong could hardly create any goalscoring opportunities except for the penalty, as we successfully stopped their wing play -- the same style that hurt us in Dhaka.

DS: How much pressure did you feel performing in front of some 50,000 spectators?

TB: The day before the match, we discussed what the stadium atmosphere might be like, and we reminded ourselves to enjoy the situation rather than feel pressured. However, it was difficult to pass on instructions to teammates because of the loud cheers from Hong Kong fans.

DS: How do you explain conceding the penalty while trying to build up from deep?

TB: Actually, we have been playing a build-up style for nearly three years under Javier Cabrera. I think it was just a one-off incident for Tariq [Kazi] yesterday.

DS: How do you feel now that Bangladesh are out of the Asian Cup race after the fourth-matchday results?

TB: Losing the home match against Hong Kong was a big blow. Had we won, we would have stayed in the race with five points. Personally, I'm not happy with the overall results because, as a team, we expected better.

DS: What explains the difference between your home and away results, since Bangladesh lost both home matches but drew both away?

TB: It's really tough to explain. If you look back at all four matches, we were in a better position in almost every aspect… [but] lacked concentration at key moments in the home matches and were punished. In away games, we were more focused and gave more than our ability.

DS: What are your thoughts on the remaining two matches against India and Singapore?

TB: We haven't yet fulfilled our expectations in this Asian Cup campaign, but we're hoping that a long-awaited win will come against India [on November 18]. We also want to earn some points away against Singapore to improve our FIFA ranking.

DS: The inclusion of foreign-groomed players like Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome has raised expectations, but the team still can't seem to get the wins. Why do you think that is?

TB: No doubt, our standard has improved with the inclusion of Hamza and Shamit -- they're high-quality players and outstanding human beings. But results are what matter the most. This time, expectations were higher than ever… I believe we're now capable of dominating any South Asian opponent.