Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera has taken full responsibility for his team’s heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Hong Kong China in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, but expressed optimism that the men in red and green can bounce back in the return leg and keep their campaign alive.
With a stoppage-time goal from Shamit Shome’s header, Bangladesh were moments away from earning a point against a comparatively stronger Hong Kong side at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday. But Raphaël Merkies’s last-minute strike, which was a hat trick for the winger, left the home fans stunned. The result dashed Bangladesh’s realistic hopes of reaching the final round.
Bangladesh’s players were devastated after the match, as was head coach Javier Cabrera. Visibly disappointed, Cabrera took full responsibility for the defeat.
“I take the responsibility. The whole team take the responsibility, mainly myself. But again, now we need to focus,” Cabrera said at the post-match press conference.
With just one point from three matches, Bangladesh now face an uphill battle to qualify, with three fixtures remaining, including an away match against Hong Kong. Their hopes of advancing have largely faded.
Still, Cabrera is optimistic about a turnaround: “We still have options. We have another match now in Hong Kong. If we get to win, we are there again, three points away from the top of the group.”
Bangladesh lose 4-3 to Hong Kong as last-minute goal dashes Asian Cup hopes
The Spanish coach admitted his team’s defensive lapses proved costly, as poor man-marking left the backline vulnerable. However, he added, “Those mistakes were really unfortunate. But that weren’t related to defensive error.
“We talked a lot about the offensive players of Hong Kong, and I think we have been able to manage very well for many moments. But in the end, they have good quality, and it can happen.
“To me, it is more than the defensive; it's not about the defenders. It's because the situations of those goals have been with not only the defenders in the box defending. I think it's been everyone.”
On a question regarding whether his starting line-up selection proved wrong, Cabrera said, “To me, the best part of the match has been the first half without any doubt. The first half is probably the best football we have played since I’m here [in Bangladesh]. So, the line-up was right. The line-up did well.”
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Even so, he lamented a needless mistake in stoppage time that proved too costly for Bangladesh.
“That cannot happen and we have to work on these things. If we want to go to the next level, as we are almost there, these kind of mistakes cannot happen. Because, then it is very difficult for us to come back. We did it, we came back again from 3-1 down to 3-3. And again, we could have been more aggressive in that last action,” he lamented.
Bangladesh is scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on Friday night to play the return leg against the hosts on October 14, with Jamal Bhuyan leading the team once again.