Bangladesh defeated 2:0 by Lebanon in SAFF Championship

Two second-half goals from Lebanon consigned Bangladesh to a 2-0 defeat in their first match of the SAFF Championship 2023 on Thursday in Bengaluru.

Bangladesh were in the match till the 80th minute and it could have gone either way but a mistake from Tariq Kazi led to Lebanon scoring the opener from Hassan Maatouk.

In the dying embers of the match with Bangladesh searching for an equaliser, Khalil Bader capitalised on a counter-attack to give Lebanon their second goal in the 96th minute and put the result beyond all doubt.

Bangladesh entered the match with the goal of at least getting a point here as the captain Jamal Bhuyan eluded to and they were well on their way to achieving it. 

The first half was an uninspiring affair with both teams looking to find the rhythm and tempo in their passing and play and the better chances went Lebanon's way.

In the second half, it was a totally different match as both sides looked to up the ante and look for the winner. 

Bangladesh were looking to play mostly on the counter-attack and had a few good chances from them as Lebanon pushed higher up the field.

Even though Lebanon were getting touches inside the Bangladesh d-box, the best chance before the opener went Bangladesh's way with the no.11 Fahim getting a one-on-one chances with the keeper, which he failed to convert from. 

Moments after, it was a mistake by one of Bangladesh's best players, Tariq Kazi that led to them conceding and captain Jamal spoke about the match afterwards.

"We made a few individual errors in the match which cost us the goals but these things happen. Although we lost again, we competed against a side that's 90 places above us in the rankings for 80 minutes so that's a positive," he said.

Bangladesh are in Group B of the SAFF Championship with Bhutan and Maldives in it along with Lebanon.

They will next play against Maldives on Sunday, 25 June and then against Bhutan on Wednesday, 28 June in the same venue.

Jamal and his men will be expected to come up with better results against the next to teams as they are lower-ranked and easier on paper. 

Two wins from two there could still give coach Javier Cabrera and his team a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition after a 14-year drought.