Bangladesh faced another frustrating outcome, conceding a goal in the dying moments and settling for a draw. In the post-match press conference, head coach Javier Cabrera was repeatedly questioned about the team’s recurring defensive lapses.
Bangladesh allowed two goals against Nepal, both stemming from mistakes at the back. Similar issues were visible in their previous match against Hong Kong as well. When asked why these defensive errors keep happening, Cabrera admitted he had no clear solution, saying, “We’ve practiced these situations hundreds of times. It’s football. But when the same mistakes repeat, it’s definitely frustrating.”
Mental Focus Questioned, But Cabrera Stays Optimistic
A day earlier, captain Jamal Bhuiyan took responsibility for conceding a last-minute goal, admitting the team seems to lose concentration after the 90-minute mark. When asked if this is a mental issue among the players, Cabrera disagreed.
He explained,
“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎. 𝑾𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐𝒔, 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂.”
Bangladesh’s two goals came through Hamza’s brilliant individual effort and a referee-awarded penalty. Aside from these moments, the team struggled to create clear scoring chances — a weakness acknowledged by the coach. Cabrera said they had better possession in the first half but failed to convert it into meaningful opportunities. He added that facing a deep-defending Nepal side was challenging and accepted responsibility for the team’s shortcomings.
Concerns grew when Hamza and Zayan Ahmed left the field with minor knocks, later seen with ice bags on their legs. However, Cabrera provided reassurance: “Their injuries are minor. There’s no reason they won’t play against India.”
Five of Nepal’s starting XI currently play in the Bangladesh Premier League, including Anant Tamang, who played a crucial role in denying Bangladesh a win. Cabrera dismissed the idea that familiarity affected the result, stressing that Bangladesh went out to win and should have closed out the match.
“We have to accept today’s result,” the coach added, emphasizing that the team must avoid negativity as they shift full focus to the upcoming clash against India.
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