Bangladesh made a promising start to their FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival campaign after holding Wales to a goalless draw in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday.
The young footballers earned a valuable point against the European side in their opening Group G match at the Hovsan Competition Complex.
Goalkeeper Srinath Sarkar was one of Bangladesh’s best performers. He made several important saves to deny Wales and helped his team finish the match without conceding a goal.
His performance also earned him the Player of the Match award.
After the match, Srinath praised his teammates for their fighting spirit against a physically stronger side.
“The Welsh players are physically much stronger than us. But everyone in our team fought really well. I tried my best to protect our goal. I want to keep clean sheets in the next matches as well. We are taking one match at a time and asking everyone back home to pray for us,” he said.
Akbar Hossain Ridon’s side are competing in Group G alongside Portugal, Indonesia, Fiji, Burundi and Wales.
Portugal made a winning start by beating Burundi 1-0. They lead the group with three points, while Bangladesh and Wales have one point each.
The tournament features 191 countries and follows a different format from regular football.
Each team fields eight players instead of 11. The matches take place on a smaller pitch measuring 68 metres by 48 metres. Each half lasts 20 minutes.
Bangladesh will return to action on Sunday with two matches. They will first face Portugal before taking on Indonesia later in the day.
The young footballers will play their remaining group matches on October 26.
The competition is taking place at the Hovsan Competition Complex and Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan.
