Bangladesh and Maldives will clash in their second Group B match at the Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday.
Javier Fernández Cabrera’s Bangladesh started its campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Lebanon, with Hassan Maatouk and Khalil Bader getting on the scoresheet for the Cedars. The Bengal Tigers were mostly on the back foot and looked out of ideas against Lebanon, with experienced players like Jamla Bhuyan, Topu Barman, and Sohel Rana looking clueless for most parts throughout the match.
Cabrera said his team needed to be more clinical in front of the goal, a case in point being Foysal Ahmad Fahim’s one-on-one miss against Lebanon, which could have brought Bangladesh back into the match against Lebanon.
Having lost its first match, another loss today provides a huge blow to Bangladesh’s hopes of qualifying for the semifinals.
Maldives clinched a 2-0 win against Bhutan in its first match but was not at its best when it came to the overall quality of football. Aided by Bhutan’s inefficiency in converting its chances, Francesco Moriero said that while he was happy with the win, he knew it wasn’t the best football from his team.
A win today against Bangladesh and Maldives will have six points from two matches and will be in a solid position to qualify for the semifinals.
The Red Snappers have one suspended player ahead of the Bangladesh match- Hassan Raif Ahmed, who was sent off against Bhutan in the sixth minute of additional time in the second half after receiving two yellow cards.
Coming to recent clashes, Maldives has a better record against Bangladesh, winning five of the last six matches. Both teams last met in a friendly match in March 2022, where the Red Snappers beat the Bengal Tigers by a scoreline of 2-0.
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