The regulation 90 minutes ended with Bangladesh leading 2–1, and the home crowd was moments away from celebrating a much-needed win. But fourth official Simon Sunny added five minutes of stoppage time, and disaster struck once more. In the 93rd minute, Nepal converted a corner to equalize, crushing Bangladesh’s hopes of a last-gasp victory yet again.
Bangladesh had gone into halftime trailing 1–0, but a stunning start to the second half changed everything. Hamza Chowdhury struck twice within the opening five minutes, turning the match in Bangladesh’s favor. For most of the half, the men in red and green controlled the tempo. However, after Hamza was substituted in the 80th minute, Nepal slowly found its rhythm.
Late Defensive Lapse Proves Costly Yet Again
A Nepal attack rattled the crossbar before Anant Tamang expertly flicked in a corner deep into stoppage time. The Bangladeshi defense failed to clear, and goalkeeper Mitul Marma was left helpless as Nepal celebrated a dramatic equalizer.
This is not the first time Bangladesh has suffered due to late lapses.
“𝑾𝒆’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 — 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕,” 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
Only a month earlier, Bangladesh conceded in injury time against Hong Kong after a 3–3 deadlock, leading to another heartbreaking loss. The pattern repeated itself today in the friendly match.
Bangladesh’s Late-Game Woes Strike Again
Bangladesh used this match as preparation for their crucial Asian Cup qualifier against India on November 18 in Dhaka. Yet the performance raised several concerning questions.
Nepal had taken the lead in the 32nd minute. The attack came from the left flank, where defender Saad Uddin failed to close down his marker. Sohel Rana’s poor clearance allowed Rohit Chad to smash in a powerful shot past the Bangladesh defense and goalkeeper.
Despite enjoying possession, Bangladesh lacked creativity in the first half. Forwards Rakib and Faisal Ahmed Fahim could not finish their chances.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌,” 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅.
Hamza, however, put on another all-action display. At one point, he raised his hand inside the Nepal box, calling for a pass, but instead, Sohel Rana opted to shoot wide. Moments later, Hamza showed his vision with a brilliant pass from the right edge.
Coach Cabrera introduced Samit Som for Sohel Rana at halftime, sparking an immediate change. In the second minute of the half, Fahim’s cross from the left was cleared, but the loose ball fell to captain Jamal. With a delicate touch, he set up Hamza, who acrobatically fired the ball into the net, sending the National Stadium into a frenzy.
Bangladesh struck again minutes later. Rakib was fouled in the box by Suman Shrestha as he chased a loose ball. The Sri Lankan referee awarded a penalty despite Nepal’s protests. Hamza calmly slotted it home, completing his brace.
Hamza’s rise has been remarkable. After debuting in March in Shillong, he scored his first goal for Bangladesh in June against Bhutan. He added another with a free kick against Hong Kong and today netted twice more — four goals in five matches.
Cuba Mitchell made his debut for Bangladesh today, while Cabrera used all six available substitutions. The coach replaced Sohel Rana, Jamal, Fahim, Hamza, and Zayan — both Hamza and Zayan were later seen with minor injuries in the dugout.
Also Read: Cabrera’s ‘Surrender’ Sparks Outrage After Defensive Blunder
