In the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, Bangladesh suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Hong Kong on home soil. The hosts conceded a goal in the dying moments of injury time in the second half, losing 3–4 to Hamza and Shamit’s side.
Following the defeat, criticism has once again surfaced over the national team’s Spanish head coach, Javier Cabrera. Many have questioned his match plan and tactical approach.
On Thursday (October 9), after the match, when Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Tabith Awal was asked about the coach’s future, he avoided the topic. While leaving the field, a journalist asked Tabith whether Cabrera would continue as Bangladesh’s coach.
The BFF president dodged the question, saying, “Now is not the time to comment on that. The match has just ended. There will, of course, be a post-match briefing. We will discuss everything in detail then.”
Despite the loss to Hong Kong, the BFF president believes Bangladesh’s performance has improved.
Although Bangladesh eventually left the field empty-handed after conceding a late goal, Tabith saw signs of progress: “From a spectator’s point of view, there were seven goals in the match—that’s quite something. Coming back from 3–1 down to make it 3–3 is a big psychological improvement. We need to analyze it more technically and think about our past and future plans.”
Bangladesh will play their next match against Hong Kong on October 14. Jamal Bhuiyan, Hamza Choudhury, and their teammates are scheduled to leave Dhaka for Hong Kong this afternoon.
