Sports Reporter :
Bangladesh Football team started their SAFF Championship campaign with a happy note. They beat Sri Lanka by a solitary goal in their first match of the single league at Male, the capital city of Maldives on October 1. Then Bangladesh maintained their supremacy as they made a 1-1 draw with the favourites India in their second match on October 4. It may be mentioned that 10-man Bangladesh showed a remarkable performance and then forced India to end the match in a tie.
However, Bangladesh tasted a 0-2 goals defeat to hosts Maldives on October 7.
Later, Bangladesh faced Nepal in their last league match on Wednesday last. Bangladesh needed a win against the Himalayan Daughter to reach the SAFF final, while Nepal needed just a draw.
Bangladesh started against Nepal according to their expectations. Striker Sumon Reza put his team ahead by a spectacular header in the 8th minute of the match. Earlier, the defenders scored for Bangladesh in the previous matches. Bangladesh showed a better brand of football than their opponents and kept their lead till 86th minute of the match before the controversial decision of the referee. In the 79th minute of the match, Rakib Hossain did a great mistake. He struck a back-pass from the mid of the field and Bangladesh custodian Anisur Rahman Zico came out from the citadel to save his team. Nepalese striker advanced and tried to hit the ball. Zico unwillingly touched the ball with the hand. Thus the Uzbek referee showed a red card to Zico which was a controversial decision. Then substitute goalkeeper Ashraful Islam Rana came at the field as the substitute of dependable Zico.
After that, Bangladesh kept their lead more seven minutes but all went in vain when a ball came at the danger zone of Bangladesh and Saad Uddin of Bangladesh and Anjan Bista of Nepal tried to control the ball. Suddenly Anjan Bista was lightly charged by Saad Uddin. Thus the referee awarded a penalty to Nepal. As the referee was far away from that incident, the referee should take the option of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) but the referee did not do that.
Anjan leveled the margin from a spot-kick in the 86th minute of the play and Bangladesh’s dream to reach the final went in vain. Bangladesh players burst into tears after their dreams to play in the SAFF Championship final was shattered by the controversial decision of referee.
Bangladesh played in the SAFF Championship final last in the year of 2005. However, this time plucky Bangladesh failed to reach the final unfortunately.
