Home ›› 06 Oct 2021 ›› Sport
18-year-old left-back Yeasin Arafat was the hero of the hour for Bangladesh in their match against India in the SAFF Championship as the teenager scored the equalizer for 10-man Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, trailing from a 26th-minute goal by Sunil Chhetri, were down a man after Bishwanath Ghosh was sent off for a professional last-man foul.
All hope seemed lost as Bangladesh were barraged with Indian attacks since then. But in the 74th minute, Yeasin headed in a Jamal Bhuyan corner to equalize and help the red and greens salvage a point.
It was the first international goal for Yeasin, and he could not have picked a better time to score it. The teenager is great at picking his moments as he had previously scored some crucial goals for his club Saif Sporting and at age levels.
Yeasin joined Saif Sporting in 2018, and it was his deal that brought the term release clause in Bangladesh football. Yeasin’s release clause was set at Tk 52 lakh in his three-year contract, which expired this year.
In these three years for Saif, the youngster has played 52 games in the Bangladesh Premier League and scored four goals. He also has three goals in his nine games in the Federation Cup. And after three successful years for Saif, the 18-year-old is set to join League Champions Bashundhara Kings for the upcoming season.
After Yeasin’s heroics on Monday, Bangladesh now set their eyes on hosts and defending Champions Maldives for their next game on Thursday.
Bangladesh already had Sohel Rana back from fever in their match against India and have been handed another boost as defender Rejaul Karim also returned to practice on Tuesday.
Bangladesh have displayed a different type of football in this SAFF Championship as they have displayed quality passing in the midfield and knit together attacks with swift movement and rhythm.
Bangladesh goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico, who was brilliant against India, said that they are confident they can keep on playing in the same style.
“We are playing positive passing football. We are confident that we can continue playing like this. The coach tells us that we can play this way and inspires us to do,” Zico said.
Maldives have struggled defensively in the recent times as they were beaten by Nepal in their opening game of the tournament. Zico believes that if Bangladesh can keep playing as they have, they can trouble the hosts.
“If we can play like we have and control the midfield, we can create inroads in their defence. Maldives have some problems defensively. So if we can use the opportunities we get, we can win the game,” he said.
The Bangladesh goalkeeper added that it was important to draw against India with 10-man as that point might be vital to reach the final.
“To draw against India with 10-man is very important. This one point can help us reach the final. If we had lost, it could have gotten very tough,” Zico added.
