Bangladesh Under-20’s disastrous AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign ended with another defeat as India cruised to a 3-0 victory in their final match, leaving the young Tigers without a goal in the entire campaign.
The defeat came amid another turbulent day for the team. Just hours before the India clash, the Bangladesh Football Federation dismissed head coach Gerard Jones and removed him from the team hotel. Atiqur Rahman Meshu took charge as interim coach.
The campaign had been surrounded by controversy since Jones was appointed. Expectations were high, with most members of the side that won the SAFF Championship in May included in the Asian Cup qualifying squad.
But those expectations quickly turned into disappointment. Bangladesh suffered a 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan before being beaten 3-0 by Syria, leaving them needing a strong response against India.
Instead, the problems that had plagued them throughout the campaign resurfaced. Poor passing, loose possession and lapses in concentration allowed India to dictate the match.
Bangladesh had a chance to take the lead in the 17th minute when Faisal Huda Fahim cut inside the box and beat his marker. However, his weak right-footed effort failed to seriously test the Indian goalkeeper.
India made Bangladesh pay for their mistakes in the 25th minute. Captain Md Abdul Riyad Fahim’s misplaced pass allowed India to launch an attack, with Danny Laishram finishing to put his side ahead.
Bangladesh showed little improvement after the break and struggled to create any meaningful threat.
India doubled their lead in the 60th minute when Vishal Yadav scored with a superb overhead kick. Substitute Md Arbash then added a third in the 79th minute to complete Bangladesh’s misery.
Bangladesh ended the qualifiers with three defeats, conceding eight goals and scoring none.
