‘We never imagined we would lose’

After going toe-to-toe for a full 90 minutes, Bangladesh Under-20 national football team lost the final of the U20 SAFF Championship 2022 5-2, a result that skipper Tanvir Hossain said he never imagined would happen.

After a spirited 90 minutes, Bangladesh lost the plot in a turbulent first 10 minutes of extra time as they conceded three goals that plummeted all hopes of winning the grand finale.

“We never imagined that we would lose. We were full of confidence before going into the final,” he told the Business Post.

“When I went to the pre-match press conference with the coach, I could see that the Indian camp was very nervous. Their captain seemed quite tensed,” he added.

Tanvir said that it was upsetting to lose the final as they played adeptly in the group stage. The young defender pointed out that it was the inexperience that led to those turbulent 10 minutes.

He also revealed that the team lost their morale after India levelled it at 2-2.

“The team’s morale went down after we conceded the second goal. A lot of the players felt that we had already lost the game as the boys put in so much effort to lead in the game,” he said.

“You have to understand that these boys are young. The atmosphere was tight, especially the large number of Indian fans added to the pressure. Honestly, we never saw it coming. The three goals we conceded came out of nowhere, and failed to cope.

“I tried to raise the morale and told the boys that we had worked hard for this. I told them to bank on their training and keep on running for the rest of the 30 minutes. We had no issues with fitness, but it was our maturity I feel that let us down,” he added.

Paul Smalley, the coach of the U20 team, also told The Business Post that inexperience cost them the trophy.

“It was very difficult to reach the final, and it was also difficult to play against a strong Indian side in the final. I think inexperience has cost us. The players were indecisive during the extra time, which cost us two quick goals that sealed the game,” Smalley said on Sunday.

Smalley also feels that now the clubs must turn these youngsters into better footballers.

“We must create a pathway for the players. It is very important to establish a connection,” he added.

Piash Ahmed Nova, who scored three goals in the tournament, expressed his sadness as it was the only match they lost.

“I was hurt a lot. My country lost. There’s no point in crying, that won’t bring the trophy to us. Still, everybody was down. Because the final was the only match we lost, and that shattered our dreams,” he said.