A 2-1 win over Maldives in the second leg of the first round of World Cup qualifiers at Kings Arena on Tuesday (October 17) confirmed the final round of World Cup qualifiers.
Bangladesh went on the attack from the start of the match at home. But at the end of the second minute, due to defender Shakil’s mistake, Maldives got the ball in the D box. But in the end there was no danger. The visitors could not take advantage of back to back corners.
Bangladesh created a great opportunity in the seventh minute. Jamal Bhuiyan took the ball extended by the Sohel runner into the D box but could not hold it in the end. As a result, the hosts have to remain goalless. In the tenth minute of the match, Sohail went forward with the ball from the middle field. Close to the D-box and cross to the left. From there, Saad attacked with the ball in the bag. But due to the defenders of Maldives, Bangladesh also failed in that journey.
However, in the next minute, the Maldivian defense had to succumb to the speed of Bangladesh’s attack. Rakib Hossain gave the team the lead with a great goal after catching Fahim’s pass. And with that, the hosts took a step forward in the mission of the playoffs. Bangladesh increased the pace of attack with the lead. But Jamal and Ranara could not find the net.
In the 33rd minute, Jamal made a great cross into the D box from the right. But despite getting the ball in the D box, Rakib failed to put it on target. Desperate to get back into the match, Maldives turned around after two minutes. The visitors equalized with the goal of Aisam Ibrahim.
After that the rest of the time and no goal was seen by either team. That is why the two teams have to end the first half with a 1-1 goal tie. However, the hosts took the lead again after the break. Fahim Ahmed led the team forward by catching the pass extended by the runner and finding the address of the net.
Bangladesh suffered a shock in the 60th minute of the match. Sohail Rana was forced to leave the field after seeing a red card for fouling a Maldivian player. And with that, the hosts became a team of 10 people. At the end of 69 minutes, Jamal pushed the ball inside the D box by playing one-to-one-two. But the red-green representatives failed to increase the gap due to the lack of that old disease finishing. The hosts missed the same opportunity in the next minute.
Bishwanath Ghosh scored the third goal at the end of the allotted time. But the referee canceled the goal due to off side. In the added extra time, due to Bangladesh’s defensive play, Maldives started attacking the hosts’ box one after another. But the visitors could not see the net.
In the end, it was not possible to get more goals for Maldives. And Bangladesh left the field with a 2-1 relief win.
