In a bid to wrap up the two-match series, Bangladesh will face Nepal in the second and final encounter of the ‘Mujib Barsho’ FIFA International friendly series at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today (Tuesday). The match is scheduled to start at 5 pm.
Bangladesh and Nepal lock horns against each other for a second time in just four days following the former's 2-0 win in their first encounter. Bangladesh players can take a lot from their recent victory against Nepal and will be confident of clinching the series with another thrilling performance.
On the other hand, it will be a do or die match for Nepal. The Nepalese will try their heart and soul to fight back in the second match, which means football enthusiasts are braced for another raging and competitive encounter.
National football team last won an international tournament title back in 2003 in SAFF Championship. Although this series is nowhere near the level of winning a SAFF Championship but it will certainly be a morale booster for the booters, if they can beat Nepal and end their trophy drought.
Winning this series will also be crucial as it will give footballers a much needed confidence and courage to play good football ahead of their against the mighty Qatar in their FIFA World Cup Qualifying round match to be held next month.
However, a blow has come to the team ahead of the match as coach Jamie Day was tested positive with coronavirus. Players however, do not want to dwell on this issue as the Jamal Bhuyan and Co. believes that Day’s absence will not have an impact on the team because they are mentally strong enough to deal with such issues. Jamal said players are sad after hearing about Jamie but now the urge to win this match is more than before. The team now want to win it for Jamie.
Skipper Jamal Bhuyan will be hoping his team can emulate the same performance like the last. The stadium will also be filled with crowd’s unconditional support, which will push team Bangladesh towards their second win. On the less auspicious side, the spectators were hardly maintaining social distance and very few were wearing masks as they beat drums and waved the national flag to cheer the boys in red and green. The players appreciated the support, with skipper Jamal Bhuiyan venturing close to the fence to greet the adoring crowd after the match.
With Bangladesh now well aware of what they are up against in their opponents and Nepal likely low on confidence following their defeat in the first match between these two sides, Bangladesh are expected to make it two wins running against them in this game.
