DM Simanto, Dhaka: Bangladesh played out a 1-1 draw with Lebanon in their second match of the four-team Group I in the ongoing joint qualifiers (round two) for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Tuesday.
Forward Shekh Morsalin canceled out Lebanese forward Majed Osman’s lead as the men in red and green opened their account in the point table after having their frustrating start against Australia by 0-7 goals defeat last Thursday.
After the match, the 17-year-old forward said that their target was not to draw rather their target was to win the match.
“I have scored, it is good for me. But our target wasn’t to draw actually, target was to win the match. But we played out a draw which is also good. Our next target will be to overcome our next matches,” said Morsalin.
“If we have Rakib bhai today, the result would be different. His absence was a bit of pressure for me. But the rest of the players have given their best efforts. The good thing is we have got some points,” he added.
Bangladesh, who have been unbeaten at the Arena for the last three matches, extended this record with the day’s draw.
Majed took the lead for his side with a left footed shot from the center of the box following a defensive lapses in the 67th minute.
Bangladesh goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon, who came in place of injured goalkeeper Mitul Marma, left the goal exposed to clear the ball and the unmarked Majed successfully slotted the ball into the net.
The crowd-packed stadium was stunned by this choppy performance of the home team, but youngster Morsalin made the crowd energized again with an impressive equalizer by his powerful long-range shot from outside the box in the 72nd minute.
Morsalin could bag the victory for the men in red and green as well as double his goal tally when he got a close chance inside the box just two minutes before the stipulated 90-minute, but he wasted the chance.
Bangladesh are 183rd in FIFA (38th in AFC) while Lebanon 104th in FIFA (19th in AFC), the day’s draw will motivate Bangladesh to play better in their forthcoming matches which will be held next year.
“Lebanon are better than us in strength, positions (rankings). We’re happy with the point but we have to be more ambitious and we have to target to achieve higher objectives in the next matches,” said head coach Javier Cabrera.
Despite having a huge difference in the rankings, Cabrera’s team were confident about their West Asian opponents based on their impressive performance in the recently concluded SAFF Championship held in June, Bengaluru.
Bangladesh conceded two goals within the last 15 minutes after keeping Lebanon at bay for 80 minutes in their first group match of that top-tier regional meet.
Apart from the SAFF game, Bangladesh played two more games against Lebanon and they won one and lost another during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in July in 2011.
“The match was very tough. We made a good strat, but after 10 to 15 minutes Bangladesh started to make a counter attack. We are disappointed with the result, but Bangladesh played very well,” said Lebanon head coach Nikola Jurcevic.
The coach also praised the ground, crowd and overall hospitality from the home team and the stadium authority.
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