Sufil, Ziban give Bangladesh 2-0 win over Nepal

Football returned to Bangladesh after almost 10 months as Bangladesh faced of Nepal in the first of two international friendlies at the Bangabandhu National stadium in Dhaka. 

Goals from Nabib Newaz Ziban and Mahbubur Rahman Sufil in the 11th and 80th minutes helped Bangladesh win the match 2-0.

The match, however, was an evenly-contested one with both sides trying their best to gain the upper hand in front of 8,000 fans who were allowed inside the stadium.

Tickets were all sold out as fans watched the game with enthusiasm and created an electric atmosphere even though the stadium was not packed.

It was understandable that the fans were football-starved and hadn't gotten an opportunity to go and watch football live in the stadium due to the coronavirus outbreak and the countrywide halt in sports.   

A bright start

The start was good for the hosts as they maintained the tempo of the match and dominated possession.

Whenever Nepal took the ball, the press from Jamie Day's men worked as they intercepted and regained possession.

The energy and speed with which Bangladesh played also worked in their favour and got them the desired results. 

The goal eventually came as a result of that as Saad cut back and laid a pass on a plate for Ziban and there was no chance for him to miss from two yards out. 

Chances wasted by the hosts

The men in Red and Green should have scored more in the first half though as the Nepal defense was rattled after conceding the goal. 

Topu Barman had an open header which he put wide of the post and moments later Ziban also mishit a volley.

Both were excellent crosses from the right side, and that was a potent area for Bangladesh, especially due to the industry and control from Saad.

Nepal reorganise

In the second half, things were much better from the visitors as they started to take more possession and played with much more pace and control. 

The Bangladesh defenders, however, were up to the task and made sure that no harm was done.

There were a few hairy moments but Nepal's finishing let them down.

That was coupled with some good stopping from the hosts' keeper meant that a clean sheet was maintained.

Sufil ensures victory

Bangladesh were being attacked quite a bit with a lot of the Nepal players taking spots in the opposition half and that opened up a chance for Bangladesh to counter-attack from the left.

Sufil made no mistake as he timed his run and beat the defense with his pace and slotted home with a cool finish on the bottom-right corner of the post. 

It was arguably the best bit of football in the match and once again was just rewards for the hosts for their consistent performances.

Bangladesh will take lots of positives from the match where they attacked and defended well but there are still areas to improve on for the hosts, especially in finishing off chances.

The build-up play will also need work but the strength and stamina shown by the hosts after being away from football for so long will certainly please Jamie Day.

Bangladesh face Nepal in the second and final friendly on 17 November in the Bangabandhu Stadium. 

Two categories of tickets are available for the two-match series with VIP tickets costing Tk500 and gallery tickets Tk100 each.