Dhaka: Bangladesh took a 1-0 lead against India in the first half of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers held at National Stadium today. From the outset, Bangladesh looked sharp, hungry, and in complete control. The early breakthrough came in the 12th minute following a counterattack.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, forward Rakib Hossain darted down the left wing and provided a cross to the onrushing Morsalin, who made no mistake in sending the ball home from close range. This left Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with no chance to clear the ball. It marked Morsalin’s seventh international goal for Bangladesh.
India desperately attempted to fight back in the match and came close to scoring in the 31st minute. Bangladesh narrowly avoided conceding a goal due to a mistake by goalkeeper Mitul Marma. Lallianzuala took a shot at the open net, but Hamza Choudhury managed to clear the goal-bound attempt, saving his team from a certain goal at the cost of a corner.
Earlier, Italian-based midfielder Shamit Shome and Sheikh Morsalin were included in the squad, while Jamal Bhuyan and Sohel Rana Jr were left out of the playing eleven against India. Sohel Rana Sr captained the day’s encounter against India in place of regular captain Jamal Bhuyan.
The Bangladesh squad for the match included Mitul Marma (gk), Topu Barman, Tariq Raihan Kazi, Zayyan Ahmed, Md Saad Uddin, Shohel Rana (c), Shamit Shome, Hamza Choudhury, Sheikh Morsalin, Md Goysal Ahmed Fahim, and Rakib Hossain.