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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

The Maldives will host the 13th edition of the SAFF football championship from October 1 to 16. This is the most prestigious football tournament in the South Asian region. So, there is a lot of interest in this tournament among football lovers in this territory. The defending champion is the Maldives, while India have the most trophies (7) in the competition's history. Bangladesh have only one SAAF Championship, which they won in 2003. Bangladesh have a good enough squad to make it to the final. They will compete for their second championship. Let's look at some facts about the 2021 SAFF Championship. Why was the SAFF Championship Postponed for a Year? The tournament was scheduled to take place in Pakistan in December 2020. However, the competition had to be postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) postponed the tournament for another year, and Bangladesh was selected to host the event in September 2021. Read AFC Cup: Bashundhara Kings start campaign in style beating Maziya 2-0 Following Bangladesh's withdrawal, Nepal expressed interest in hosting the event. However, the Maldives later emerged as a contender to host the 2021 SAAF Championship. The SAAF committee eventually agreed to award the hosting rights to the Maldives in August. The SAAF Football Championship will be held for the second time in the Maldives. In 2008, they co-hosted the event with Sri Lanka for the first time. Pakistan would not be eligible to compete in this year's SAAF Championship because they were sanctioned by FIFA in April 2021. Bhutan will also be absent from the tournament due to the government's refusal to allow the national football squad to travel outside of the country. Read: Bangladesh Women's Football Team to Play 2022 Asian Cup Qualifiers in September The host Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh are among the teams competing in the 13th edition of the SAAF Football Championship. 2021 SAFF Championship: Format and Fixtures   There is just one group in the 2021 SAFF Championship. To put it another way, all five teams competing will face off against one another. The top two teams in the points table will qualify for the championship match. All of the games will be held at Malé's National Football Stadium. Aside from India, only the Maldives have won the SAAF Football Championship more than once. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan have each won one tournament. In addition to being a one-time champion, Bangladesh have finished second twice in the SAAF Football Championship. Read: AFC Cup: Bashundhara Kings take solo lead in goalless draw with Bengaluru FC Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka in their first match of the tournament on October 1. Bangladesh's chances to stay strong in the competition will be determined by their performance in the first encounter. Here is the tournament's complete schedule Date Matches 01/10/2021 Nepal vs. Maldives 01/10/2021 Sri Lanka vs. Bangladesh 04/10/2021 Bangladesh vs. India 04/10/2021 Sri Lanka vs. Nepal 07/10/2021 India vs. Sri Lanka 07/10/2021 Maldives vs. Bangladesh 10/10/2021 Maldives vs. Sri Lanka 10/10/2021 Nepal vs. India 13/10/2021 Bangladesh vs. Nepal 13/10/2021 India vs. Maldives 16/10/2021 Final Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_SAFF_Championship#Matches  Read BPL Football:Dhaka Abahani crush Sheikh  Russel 5-1 Bottom Line Bangladesh's chances of winning the championship for the second time depend on their ambition and performance throughout the competition. Bangladesh have a realistic opportunity to win the 2021 SAFF Championship if they can exhibit consistency from the start of the event. The SAFF Football Championship will go ahead after overcoming all of the obstacles posed by the pandemic coronavirus. The tournament committee will closely observe health regulations. However, spectators may or may not be allowed into the stadium depending on the condition of the covid-19 situation in the Maldives. Read: BPL Football: Saif SC beat Uttar Baridhara 3-1