Bangladesh produced a far better performance against Singapore than in their opening FIFA ASEAN Cup match, but they again walked away without a point after a 1-0 defeat at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Monday.
Harhys Stewart scored the only goal in the 35th minute, rising to meet Abdullah Noor’s cross from the left and heading past goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon.
The defeat leaves Bangladesh bottom of Group A without a point from two matches. They now need to beat hosts Indonesia on Thursday to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Thomas Dooley made four changes from the side that lost 3-0 to Malaysia. Captain Jamal Bhuyan, Zidane Yousuf, Shuki Itofusa and Shekh Morsalin returned to the starting XI, with Sohel Rana, Farhaan Ali Wahid, Shakil Ahad Topu and Fahamedul Islam dropping out.
The reshuffle brought greater urgency. Bangladesh attacked from the start, with Rakib Hossain and Shuki repeatedly carrying the ball towards Singapore’s penalty area during the opening 15 minutes.
The problem remained the final action. Rakib entered the box in the 15th minute but could not find a teammate with his pass. Bangladesh finished the first half without a shot on target, while Singapore managed four from five attempts.
Singapore gradually adjusted and created more pressure. Srabon denied Ilhan Fandi in the 16th minute and made another important save from a dangerous free-kick in the 33rd before Tariq Kazi helped clear the danger.
Two minutes later, Stewart gave Singapore the lead.
Bangladesh pushed much harder after the interval and continued looking for an equaliser until the final whistle. Dooley, however, believes the team still needs greater quality in front of goal.
“Our big problem is scoring goals. We don’t have a perfect striker in the team who can put the ball in the net,” he said.
The coach also rejected suggestions that Bangladesh had ignored set-piece work. He said the team practised set pieces during their Bangladesh camp, but rain disrupted two scheduled sessions. The team also had one or two specific free-kick strategies that did not get the chance to appear in the match.
“We practised set pieces, but not after coming here. We did them during our camp in Bangladesh,” Dooley said. “Because of the rain and the condition of the pitch, we could not fully complete our two scheduled sessions.”
Dooley viewed the tournament as an opportunity to identify weaknesses and learn from stronger opposition.
“We did not come here to beat everybody. We came here to identify our mistakes and learn from them,” he said.
He also praised the response after the Malaysia defeat, saying Bangladesh showed they could compete with Singapore and that the players deserved to keep their heads up.
Bangladesh now turn their attention to Indonesia, with Dooley hoping the final group match will provide another lesson that can help the team ahead of the SAFF Championship.
