SAFF Championship
Construction of new house for SAFF champ goalkeeper Rupna begins
The construction of a new house for goalkeeper Rupna Chakma, a vital part of Bangladesh's SAFF winning women's team, has begun in Rangamati following a promise made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Naniarchar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Fazlur Rahman inaugurated the construction of the house in the Bhuiyandam area in Ghilachhari union Thursday.
Abdul Majid, an upazila engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department, said the house will be built within two months at Tk10.67 lakh.
A photo of the ramshackle house of Rupna, the best goalkeeper in the just-concluded SAFF Women's Championship in Nepal, went viral after Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman went to greet Rupna and Rituparna Chakma after they had won the SAFF championship.
Read: 5 SAFF champion girls receive grand reception in Khagrachari
As the issue caught the attention of PM Hasina, she asked the district administration to build a new house for Rupna.
"Following the approval of the drawing and the budget, the construction work of Rupna's house started. We've taken all preparations so that the house can be built quickly," said Fazlur.
1 year ago
Army announces Tk 1 crore reward for SAFF women champions
Bangladesh Army has announced a reward of BDT 1 crore for the Bangladesh women's football team who recently won the 2022 SAFF Championship in Nepal. The Army made the announcement on Friday.
Bangladesh women's football team became the undefeated champion in the 2022 SAFF Championship. They scored a total of 23 goals in this premier football tournament in South Asia, while they conceded only one goal.
Bangladesh won the title by defeating the hosts Nepal 1-3 at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Read: Sabina wants to keep winning trophies playing entertaining football
After returning home, the Bangladesh team was given a royal welcome. They were taken to the Bangladesh Football Federation from the airport in an open-deck bus. Along the way to the federation headquarters, thousands of supporters congratulated the team on their first SAFF title win. No other Bangladeshi team has been given such a reception before.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced a reward of BDT 50 lakh for them while two officials of the Bangladesh Football Federation have announced a total reward of BDT 1 crore as well.
Read: SAFF women champs: Skipper Sabina given hero's welcome on return to Satkhira
2 years ago
10-man Bangladesh exit SAFF Championship with 1-1 draw against Nepal
A 10-man Bangladesh crashed out of the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 after playing out to 1-1 draw with Nepal in their last league match at the National Football Stadium in Male Wednesday.
Nepal will play the final on October 16 at 9pm Bangladesh time against hosts Maldives or India.
In Wednesday's other crucial match at 10pm, the league leader Maldives will play third-placed India, who have not yet conceded any defeat, Bangladesh time to clinch a berth in the final.
Read: SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India
The Maldives, who dominated the league table with six points from three matches after beating Sri Lanka 1-0, Bangladesh 2-0 and conceding 0-1 defeat against Nepal, need a draw against India to confirm their place in the final. But India will have to win the match to do so.
2 years ago
SAFF Championship 2021: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal in the Final Race
Despite the fact that India were the pre-tournament favorite, there was an expectation that the SAFF championship 2021 would be more competitive than recent editions. All of the teams have done well since the tournament began earlier this month. There are still four teams competing for a berth in the finals. As there is only one group in this competition, the top two teams in the points table will progress to the final match. Let's look at the group stage scenario and assess which two teams have the best chance of reaching the finals.
Read:SAFF Football: Bangladesh to face Nepal in a 'do or die" match on Wednesday
Scenario for Championship Match Berths in the Group Stage
The finalists of the SAFF Championship 2021 will be determined by the last two group stage matches. Because the winner of the match between Bangladesh and Nepal will face the winner of the match between India and the Maldives in the championship match on October 16 (Saturday) at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives.
SAFF Football Championship 2021 points table (as of October 10)
Team
Match
Win
Draw
Loss
GD
Points
Maldives
3
2
0
1
2
6
Nepal
3
2
0
1
1
6
India
3
1
2
0
2
5
Bangladesh
3
1
1
1
-1
4
Sri Lanka
4
0
1
3
-3
1
Read: SAFF Championship: Bangladesh lose 0-2 to Maldives
Bangladesh vs. Nepal: (5 pm, Bangladesh Standard Time)
Head-to-head:
Bangladesh Win: 13 | Draw: 2 | Nepal: 7
Bangladesh
Bangladesh have a simple equation in their quest for a final berth. Bangladesh will go to the final if they defeat Nepal.
Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka in their first match of the tournament. They surprised India by drawing the match with ten men on the field. However, Oscar Bruzon's team did not put up their best effort against the Maldives, losing 2-0. They have the lowest goal differential (-1) among the top four teams. Therefore, Bangladesh will not advance to the final if they draw their match against Nepal. So, this is a make-or-break situation for the tigers.
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Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 4-3-3)
Anisur Rahman Zico (GK), Yasin Arafat, Tariq Kazi, Topu Barman, Md Saad Uddin, Jamal Bhuyan, Mohammad Ibrahim, Sohel Rana, Biplu Ahmed, Rahmat Mia, Motin Mia
Nepal
Nepal kicked up their SAFF Championship 2021 campaign with two impressive wins over the Maldives and Sri Lanka. They also performed well against India but were defeated 1-0. Nepal are currently in second place in the points standings after collecting six points in three games. Nepal will proceed to the final if they win against Bangladesh. However, Nepal may still qualify for the final if they draw this match and India lose to the Maldives.
Read: SAFF Champs: Bangladesh to play hosts Maldives Thursday night
Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 5-4-1)
Dangi (GK), Lama, Uparkoti, T.Tamang, S. Shrestha, G. Shrestha, Rajbanshi, A. Tamang, Chand, Aryal, Chemzong
India vs. Maldives (10 pm, Bangladesh Standard Time)
Head-to-head:
India Win: 14 | Draw: 2 | Maldives: 4
India
India got off to a shaky start in the tournament. They drew with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their first two games, losing vital four points. They fought back strongly against Nepal and won the game 1-0. India are still in contention for a top-two finish in the points standings. They must win their encounter against the Maldives to qualify for the championship match. India will be eliminated from the competition if they lose points.
Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 4-2-2)
Singh Sandhu (GK), Desai, Bose, Bheke, Kotal, Femandes, Ralte, Wangjam, Yasir, Singh, Sunil Chhetri
Read: SAFF Championship 2021: How Bangladesh can qualify for the Final
Maldives
The Maldives had a shaky start to the tournament. They were defeated 1-0 by Nepal in their first match. However, they bounced back against Bangladesh, winning 2-0, and then beating Sri Lanka by a solitary goal. The Maldives are in first place in the points table with 6 points. If the host draws their match against India, they will progress to the final. So, the Maldives are in a stronger position than the other three teams in the final race.
Probable Starting XI (expected formation: 4-2-3-1)
Faisal (GK), Yoosuf, Samooh, Ghanee, Hassan, Nihaan, Ali, Mahudhee, Fasir, Mohamed, Ashfaq
Verdict
The top two teams in the points standings are the Maldives and Nepal as of October 10. These two teams appear to be competitive, and they have exhibited a desire to win the tournament. Though India remain the best side on paper to win the tournament. They made a fantastic comeback against Nepal in their last group stage encounter. On the other hand, Bangladesh had a promising start to the competition but struggled against the host Maldives. Bangladesh must come out on top against Nepal with a winning formula to proceed to the SAFF Championship 2021 final.
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2 years ago
SAFF Championship: Bangladesh lose 0-2 to Maldives
Bangladesh national football team tasted their first defeat in the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 as hosts the Maldives beat them 2-0 Thursday.
After a scoreless first half at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives capital Male, striker Hamza Mohamed put the hosts ahead in the 55th minute with a bicycle-kick off a header (1-0).
Ali Ashfaq, named man of the match, added another in the 74th minute from a penalty (2-0).
Read: SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India
The Maldives won the spot-kick as Bangladesh's Sohel Rana made a rash tackle inside the danger zone.
The archipelagic state wrapped up the win they deserved after dominating the match against the men in red and green.
Five Bangladeshi booters – Md Ibrahim, Yeasin Arafat, Jewel Rana, Tariq Kazi and Jamal Bhuiyan – were cautioned with yellow cards. However, goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico pulled up some brilliant saves.
Bangladesh last beat the Maldives in SAFF Championship in Dhaka in 2003.
Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener
Despite Thursday's defeat, the men in red and green remained in second place of the standings with four points from three matches after beating Sri Lanka 1-0 and playing out to a 1-1 draw with India.
So far, Nepal have dominated the competition with an unbeaten run, securing six points from two matches. Bangladesh will face the Himalayan nation on October 13 at 5pm at the same venue.
3 years ago
SAFF Champs: Bangladesh to play hosts Maldives Thursday night
Bangladesh national football team will play upper ranked and hosts Maldives in their 3nd match of the five-nation SAFF Championship’2021 at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives capital Male on Thursday night.
T-Sports will telecast live from the big bowl at 10 pm (Bangladesh Time).
In Thursday’s other match, former champions India will take on all losers Sri Lanka at 5 pm (BST) at the same venue.
Bangladesh remained unbeaten in ongoing meet securing four points from two matches after beating Sri Lanka 1-0 featuring a goal from defender Topu Banman in the first match and a 10-men Bangladesh, coming from behind, snatched an important point from their giant neighbor India in 1-1 draw, also featuring a goal from another defender Yeasin Arafat.
Himalayan nation Nepal dominated the meet securing full six points from two matches after beating hosts Maldives 1-0 and defeated Sri Lanka by 3-2 goal.
Read: SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India
Former champions India are in the 3rd slot bagging one point from their lone match against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka and Maldives are yet to open the account playing two and one match respectively.
Thursday’s match will be equally important for both the teams. Bangladesh wants to brighten the final berth beating the Maldives while hosts Maldives seriously needed a win to keep their final berth alive.
It will be another acid test for the newly appointed Spanish interim Head Coach of Bangladesh national football team Oscar Bruzon after proving his worth in the first two matches.
In the remaining matches of the South Asian biggest soccer tournament Bangladesh will play hosts Maldives on Oct 7 at 10 pm and Nepal on Oct 13 at 5pm , both at the National Football Stadium in Male.
Two top teams of the five–nation meet will play the final on October 16 at the same venue.
The present record are not in favor of Bangladesh as they suffered three successive defeats against the Maldives in the last 18 years, featuring a 0-5 goal losses in the FIFA International friendly in Male in 2016.
Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener
Bangladesh beat the Maldives last in 2003 to win SAF Championship in Dhaka, beating the Maldives 1-0 in group stage and overcame them by 5-3 goals in tie-breaker in the final.
But in the initial stages, Bangladesh started campaign brilliantly beating the Maldives by 5-0 goal in the Kathmandu SAF Games in 1984 and crushed them again Maldives by 8-0 goal in the Dhaka SAF Games in 1985..
Ahead of the Thursday’s match, Bangladesh team made their practices at the Henveiru Training Pitch in Male Wednesday afternoon
Three key players of Bangladesh team are likely to miss the Thursday’s match against the Maldives. Defender Bishwanath Ghosh will miss the match for receiving red card, Rakib Hossain for two yellow cards and medio Atiqur Rahman Fahad is likely to miss the for his back injury.
3 years ago
SAFF Championship 2021: How Bangladesh can qualify for the Final
The 13th edition of the SAFF football tournament kicked off on Friday, October 1, 2021. Each team will compete against the other in the group stage and the top two teams in the standings will advance to the final. Bangladesh opened their campaign with a win over Sri Lanka before drawing 1-1 with India in their following match. Team Tigers has a chance to reach the final for the first time in 16 years. Bangladesh's upcoming fixtures are crucial in terms of advancing for the title match. Let's look at how Bangladesh may reach the final of the SAFF Championship 2021.
Bangladesh's record in SAFF football tournament
Bangladesh had a strong national team set up in the early 2000s. They reached three consecutive finals in 1999, 2003, and 2005 and won the SAFF Championship in the fifth edition of the tournament in Bangladesh. They won the 2003 edition by defeating the Maldives in a penalty shootout (5-3) in the final.
Bangladesh last appeared in a SAFF Championship final in 2005, when the event was held in Pakistan for the sixth time. They were defeated 2-0 by India in the championship match. Bangladesh haven't been in a final since then, and they haven't even qualified for the semifinals in the previous four editions of the tournament.
Read SAFF Championship: 10-man Bangladesh come from behind to draw with India
Despite spending more money on football development, Bangladesh's football has deteriorated over the last 10 years. They are presently ranked 189th by FIFA. Bangladesh's lowest FIFA ranking was 197 in February-May 2018.
Bangladesh's potential of reaching SAFF Football final
After a hard-fought victory over a 10-man Sri Lankan team on Friday (October 1), the Bangladesh team showcased their real potential under newly appointed coach Oscar Bruzon against India on Monday at the National Football Stadium in Malé, Maldives.
Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri scored in the 26th minute to give India a 1-0 lead. After finding the ball in the D-Box area, Chhetri blasted the ball into the top right corner of the goal post.
Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener
Bangladesh's players showed no signs of stress after conceding the goal. They tried to carry out the plan with proper discipline on the pitch, despite going down to ten men after defender Bishwanath Ghosh was sent off in the 54th minute.
Bangladesh continued to counter-attack and equalized in the 74th minute, thanks to a superb header by Yeasin Arafat. The Bangladesh team looked really confident for the first time in a long time, and head coach Oscar Bruzon deserves special credit. The team's performance against India in the match has instilled a lot of confidence in Bangladesh's bid for a spot in the final.
Bangladesh currently have four points after two games, putting them in second place in the points table, just behind Nepal. The Nepalese national team has a perfect record so far, winning both of its first two games. On the other hand, India have one point. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are yet to open their account in the points table.
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Bangladesh have two games left in the group stage. They will face the host Maldives on Thursday (October 7) followed by Nepal on Wednesday (October 13).
Bangladesh will qualify for the final If they win at least one match and draw the other. If they do, the Bangladesh team will have 8 points in the standings. In that case, both Nepal and the Maldives must lose their games against Bangladesh. Nepal would also need to drop points against India.
If Bangladesh win its remaining matches, they won't have to rely on the outcomes of other fixtures. Bangladesh will then have 10 points, allowing them to either second or first in the points table.
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Verdict
Nepal and Bangladesh are the top two teams in the points standings as of October 4. These two sides appear to be well-balanced, and they have shown a desire to succeed in the competition. However, India remain the best team on paper, and they will surely come back strong in their next three matches. If India advance to the final, Nepal will be Bangladesh's toughest opponent for a place in the championship match. In such a scenario, Bangladesh's game against Nepal on October 13 will be a do-or-die contest for both sides. The last few group stage fixtures of the SAFF Championship 2021 will be enthralling to watch.
3 years ago
SAFF Championship: Bangladesh take on favourites India on Monday
Bangladesh national football team will face giant neighbor and upper ranked India in their 2nd match of the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 on Monday (Oct 4) at 5 pm Bangladesh Time at the National Football Stadium in the Maldives capital Male.
T-Sports will telecast the match live from the big bowl at 5:pm (BST).
Earlier on Friday, Bangladesh team made a good start in the regional soccer meet beating Island nation Sri Lanka by 1-0.
Veteran defender Tapu Barman scored the match-winner for Bangladesh in the 56th minute and was adjudged man of the match.
It will be another acid test for the newly appointed Spanish interim Head Coach of Bangladesh national football team Oscar Bruzon after proving his worth in his very first assignment (against Sri Lanka).
Read: Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener
In the remaining matches of the South Asian biggest soccer tournament Bangladesh will play hosts Maldives on Oct 7 at 10 pm and Nepal on Oct 13 at 5:pm , both at the National Football Stadium in Male.
Two top teams of the five–nation meet will play the final on October 16 at the small venue.
Bangladesh team made their practices at the Henveiru Training Pitch in Male on Sunday from 5:30 to 7 pm (Bangladesh Time) where defender Rezaul Karim did not take part due to sickness.
Ahead of the Monday’s vital match, Bangladesh Medio Sohel Rana, who missed the team’s first match due to fever and joined the team’s practice session on Sunday said, “Our players are morally boost-up now after winning the first match (against Sri Lanka), but we have to utilize few chances that came our way against India”.
Earlier, the recently relieved head coach Jamie Day's Bangladesh team completed their Three-nation Cup and friendly match in Kyrgyzstan, a preparatory tour for SAFF Championships, with a frustrating note losing all the three matches,
Visiting Bangladesh conceded 0-2 goals defeat against Palestine in their first match of the Three Nations Cup, suffered 1-4 goals defeat against hosts Kyrgyzstan, the unbeaten champions of the three nations cup and finally conceded 2-3 goals defeat against Kyrgyzstan U-23 team, all at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek.
3 years ago
Bruzon era starts brightly as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in SAFF opener
Bangladesh got the start they hoped for in the 5-nation SAFF Championship with a comfortable win against Sri Lanka in Male on Friday, although new head coach Oscar Bruzon will be concerned at the failure to convert their much greater possession and chances in open play into goals.
Ultimately they had to rely on a second half penalty for a 1-0 victory, after Lankan defender Duckson Puslas handled inside the box. It was Duckson's second yellow card offense, meaning the Lankans were also down to 10 men.
Defender Topu Barman stepped up to coolly convert from the spot in the 55th minute. Sri Lanka never really looked like troubling the Bangladeshi goalkeeper, and Bruzon's men had the 3 points they craved to start the tournament.
The Spaniard, who came to the job with extensive knowledge of Bangladeshi football after three successful years managing BPL champions Bashundhara Kings, made good on his promise of a more modern and attractive style of play in his team's very first outing under him.
Read: SAFF Championship: Bangladesh kick off against Sri Lanka in opener Friday
Bangladesh bossed possession (58% to 42%) throughout the match and created waves of chances, with 20 shots on goal against 9 for Sri Lanka, none of which were on target. Bangladesh had 4 shots on target.
The failure to convert more of those chances into direct threats for the Lankan goalkeeper will be an area Bruzon will surely work to improve. Although dominant in midfield, some of the play in the final third left a lot to be desired.
3 years ago
SAFF Championship: Bangladesh kick off against Sri Lanka in opener Friday
Bangladesh booters start their campaign in the five-nation SAFF Championship 2021 when they face Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on Friday (Oct 1) at the National Football Stadium in Male, capital of the Maldives.
The match will kick-off at 5pm Bangladesh time. T-Sports will telecast the match live.
Bangaladesh’s following fixtures in the group phase would be against India (Oct 4 at 5pm), hosts Maldives (Oct 7 at 10pm) and finally Nepal (Oct 13 at 5pm). All games of this year’s championship will be held at the same venue in Male.
Earlier on Tuesday, a 34-member Bangladesh football team, comprising 23 booters and 11 officials, reached the Maldives airing high hopes of success in the quest for regional bragging rights.
It will be Bangladesh’s first assignment under Spaniard Oscar Bruzon, who made the switch from managing BPL champions Bashundhara Kings to take over as interim head coach of the national team
Meanwhile, Bangladesh team had their 2nd Covid -19 tests in the Maldives and all the players tested negative.
Midfielder Sohel Rana and defender Rezaul Karim however will not feature in Friday’s matchday squad, both down with fever.
The team made practiced at the Henveiru training pitch on Thursday for 90 minuites. Later they visited the National Football Stadium.
READ: Bangladesh team to leave for Maldives Tuesday in hunt for SAFF title
In a pre-match press conference, Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuiyan spoke with purpose and positive intent. “We want to start the tournament getting the full 3 points by playing a good match against Sri Lanka,” said the midfield general.
Since replacing Englishman Jamie Day, Bruzon has certainly talked a good game and exuded a confidence rarely seen around the green-and-reds. One clear plus he enjoys over previous foreigners in the job is that after three years in charge of the Kings, he already has extensive knowledge of football in Bangladesh.
Add to that the success he has enjoyed, taking Bashundhara to the pinnacle of Bangladesh football with not just the silverware to prove it, but also an attractive, modern brand of football that puts the onus on technique – as you’d expect from Spaniards of his generation.
”We want to show our ability tomorrow with the available players in our squad,” the 44-year-old said in the pre-match presser.
In early September, Bangladesh toured Kyrgyzstan and played three matches-- two as part of a tri-nation tournament with the hosts and Palestine, and a friendly against the Kyrgyz U-23 team.
Over the course of those three games, all ending in hopeless defeats, it became clear that the national team was going nowhere under Englishman Day, with his gimmicky selections of diaspora Bangladeshis plying their trade in semi-professional leagues as far away as Canada proving a damp squib.
While diaspora picks such as captain and talisman Jamal Bhuiyan are of course welcome, playing in any foreign league and almost any division should be no ticket to the national team.
Bruzon’s more comprehensive football philosophy is what BFF needs to develop the game nationally. But his assignment for now remains temporary, covering the short term.
Members of Bangladesh squad (footballers) are:
Shahidul Alam Sohel, Anisur Rahman and Ashraful Islam Rana (Custodians), Rahmat Miah, Bishwanath Ghosh, Topu Barman, Tariq Raihan Kazi , Riyadul Hasan, Yeasin Arafat, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Rezaul Karim and Mohammad Hridoy (Defenders); Jamal Bhuiyan, Atiqur Rahman Fahad , Sohel Rana, M Saaduddin and Rakib Hossain (Midfielders), Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Mohammad Ibrahim, Matin Miah ,Jewel Rana, Biplo Ahmed and Sumon Reza (Forwards).
3 years ago