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Journalism of Courage
MARGAO, APRIL 22: Bangladesh rewarded themselves, for their resolve and determination, with a point from a difficult opener in the SAFF Coca-Cola Cup tournament after a goalless draw against defending champions India at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, here.
The result now puts some pressure on India when they take on Pakistan in Group A’s concluding fixture on Monday but it did much to induce optimism in the Bangladesh camp.
The visitors played to a plan, a post mortem confirmed by both coaches, especially Iraqi 1986 World Cupper Shamim Mahmoud, guiding Bangladesh. Mahmoud admitted his side’s preference for defence with an eye on the quick break and cited his skipper Jewel Rana’s exemplary performance in his team’s plan and purpose.
Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh and manager Henry Britto felt no shame in dropping a point in an opener they felt would always be tough. Sukhwinder, who had barely a week to train the side, admitted to his adversaries’ resolve and single-mindedness of purpose but felt his team’s buzzin mid-field was not rewarded by the final touch. But the fault, Sukhwinder analysed, lay essentially with the mid-fielders themselves, who failed to lay the ball low and precisely. “The Bangladeshi stoppers are good in air and the only way we could beat their defence was to play the ball low and quick,” the Indian coach said.
Bangladesh were quite prepared to lay back and defend. As Rana, the 28-year-old stopper formed the bulwark of the defence, coach Mahmoud’s hopes for a bonus were always kept alive by the effervescence of striker Mohd Alfaz Mahmoud. His accelerating runs down the flanks and through the middle produced that slight element of uncertainty in the Indian defence.
Bruno Coutinho, playing before an admiring home crowd, rationalised, as his bosses did, that a draw was a reasonable result in a difficult opener, but must reflect disappointment that culminated in his substitution a mere ten minutes from the end, by Jo Paul Ancheri.
Sukhwinder Singh, hoping for the versatile player to pulloff something special, did not rue the decision of bringing Coutinho off but must re-think his strategy of playing the India skipper in a withdrawn position.
Playing in front of an admiring home crowd, Coutinho got an early chance to display his prowess at the set-piece as he shaped ominously at a flag-kick with the match only second old.
As time wore on, the trend became increasingly clear. Bangladesh’s confidence of sand-bagging Indian pressure caused frustrations in the Indian attack where Bhaichung Bhutia and a strangely subdued IM Vijayan failed to get the better of another Bangladesh hero of the day — goalkeeper Mohammed Aminul Haq.
The chances feel in torrents, one to former skipper Carlton Chapman, who shaped pathetically with a wayward volley after Daljit Singh crossed.
Bhutia, himself missed with a hasty left-footer met by a cool, calm and collected Bangladesh ‘keeper and another snap attempt that this time drew Haq to a fine collection from a Bruno cross-field ball.
Chapman gave way forBasudev Mondal in the mid-field after the change of ends. But there was precious little in India’s cohesion in the second half despite the sustained domination of possession.
Teams
India: Virender Singh, Reazul Mustafa, Ranjan Dey, Robert Fernandes, Daljit Singh, S Venkatesh, Jules Alberto, Bruno Coutinho (Jo Paul Ancheri), IM Vijayan, Carlton Chapman (Basudev Mondal), Bhaichung Bhutia.
Yellow cards: Alberto (32nd).
Bangladesh: Mohd Aminul Haq, M Hasan Al-Mamun, Ranjani K Barman, Pradip Kumar Prodder, Jewel Rana, Matur Rahman Munna, Iqbal Hossain, Mohd Mizanur Rahman (S Tipu), Mustafa Parvez (Rakib Hossain), Manwar Hossain, Mohd Alfaz Ahmed.
Yellow cards: Jewel Rana (51), Mustafa Parvez (58), Tipu (89).
