Jamal wants Shamit, Fahamedul, Zayyan and himself in starting XI

Bangladesh football team captain Jamal Bhuyan has expressed his desire to see Shamit Shome, Fahamedul Islam, Zayyan Ahmed, and himself included in the starting eleven.

He cited the quartet's impact in the second half of the Asian Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong, China, held at the National Stadium on Thursday.

"When Shamit, Fahamedul, Zayyan and I were warming up together, I told them we had to change the course of the match," Jamal told journalists before departing for Hong Kong to play the return leg on October 14.

"All four of us made an impact in the match, and we want to be in the starting line-up from the beginning. I believe we performed quite well overall yesterday."

In a surprising decision, coach Javier Cabrera left out Shamit, Fahamedul, and the promising Zayyan from the starting eleven, while Jamal, despite being the team captain, was also benched.

Cabrera eventually introduced all four players in the second half after Bangladesh had surrendered the lead. Shamit scored, while both Jamal and Fahamedul registered assists.

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Jamal said he wants to play in every match, not spend time on the bench.

"When I don't play, it's wrong. I always want to play every match, but at the end of the day, it's the coach's call," Jamal stated.

He also reflected on the team's tendency to concede late goals, attributing the final-minute defeat to a lapse in concentration.

"This team has a history of conceding in the last moments. Before the match against Hong Kong, we talked among ourselves about staying fully focused throughout," Jamal said. "I also mentioned in the pre-match press conference that if we wanted to win, we needed complete concentration -- but unfortunately, we couldn't maintain it."

Despite the setback, Jamal remains hopeful that Bangladesh can still progress from the group stage.

"We have three matches remaining, and we must win all three. We cannot afford to drop a single point," said Jamal. He thanked the supporters for showing up to back the team and expressed regret for not delivering a win, while remaining optimistic about better results in the coming days."