Ameli: Bangladesh were the better team

Striker of Bangladesh National Football Team Jahad Hasan Ameli has said that Bangladesh were the better team in their World Cup qualifier against India, where they drew 1-1. 

Bangladesh were 1-0 up right before the half time, courtesy of young forward Saad Uddin. India managed to equalize in the dying moments of the game to equalize and scrape a point. 

"Bangladesh was the better team. They did well on the counter-attack. Strikers were on rhythm and created very good chances. Though India had the home ground advantage and the supporters were against us, we were able to adopt our own strategy. We wanted to play a counter-attacking game and we achieved that. The game plan was executed very well," Ameli said. 

Ameli said that he was impressed with how the Bangladeshi players managed to keep their energy throughout the match. "I was really impressed with the stamina of the team. They faced a lot of criticism for this but now I think it is top-notch and they can go neck and neck with any team regarding this," he added. 

He also said that Bangladesh played a good brand of football, and were unlucky to not get the full three points. "We controlled the game from the beginning. Only that last-minute goal denied us from victory. But Bangladesh played some really good football," Ameli concluded. 

On the other hand, former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia said that India's draw with Bangladesh was unfortunate and the Indian team should learn from their mistakes. 

"I could not watch the match so I won't be able to comment much on it, but it is unfortunate. They are a young side. They have talented players and they will only learn from this. Yes, it is not a great result but these boys and the team needs to continue the work they are doing. They will get better." 

Indian captain Sunil Chhetri also expressed his disappointment as he thought they could not deliver a performance good enough to match the environment of the stadium but thanked the supporters for showing up in large numbers and supporting the team. 

Indian coach Igor Stimac said that Bangladesh were resilient and after conceding a silly goal, India did not react well. But he also added that they needed to stay optimistic and they had shown that they have the confidence to play against anyone.

This was Bangladesh's first point in the qualifiers after their consecutive defeats to Afghanistan and Qatar. Bangladesh will play their next game in the Fifa World Cup and AFC qualifiers against Oman in the 14th of November at the middle-eastern country.