Kyrgyzstan 3-0 Bangladesh

Kyrgyzstan tore apart an exhausted Bangladesh 3-0 yesterday to stay alive for a final berth in the Nehru Cup.

Vadim Herchenko was unstoppable and the winger exploited the tired legs of the Bangladesh defenders to set up a brace for Hurshid Lutfullaev and one goal for Ruslan Djamshidov, the striking duo who toured Bangladesh during the AFC Challenge Cup in April last year.

With two wins from three matches, Kyrgyzstan now face a must win situation against hosts India, who also have six points but enjoy a better goal difference.

Ruslan wasted an early chance against Bangladesh, who ended their campaign with three defeats in four games inside just seven days, retained the same line-up from their 1-1 draw against Cambodia two days earlier.

After the wake-up call, Syed Nayeemuddin's boys took brief control with strings of passes and Zahid Hossain hammered the ball inches wide from 30 yards in the 26th minute.

Two minutes later, makeshift rightback Ariful unnecessarily lingered with the ball and conceded a corner which helped Kyrgyzstan go ahead when Hurshid, crowded by three defenders, stabbed in a low cross by Herchenko.

Bangladesh's first shot on target, a freekick by Alfaz just after interval, went straight to goalkeeper Maxim.

A counter attack in 54th minute doubled the lead for the central Asians as Hurshid's diving header from seven yards on a right-flank centre by Herchenko gave Biplab no chance.

Three minutes later, Herchenko's attempted cross deflected off Rajani to Ruslan who made no mistake to shoot a left-footer on the turn into the low left corner of Biplab.

Emily came close twice in the last 15 minutes to reduce the arrears but the Bangladesh striker failed to nod a Rajani freekick before placing wide from a tight angle.

Bangladesh 1-1 Cambodia

Substitute Keo Kosal's 90th minute equaliser denied Bangladesh from a certain win in the Nehru Cup as they drew 1-1 with Cambodia at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi yesterday.

The Cambodian striker, who almost scored level in the 82nd minute but saw his drive from 20 yards curl just out of the sidebar, stabbed the ball home from eight yards after the tired Bangladesh backline failed to stop a darting low cross by another substitute Sam Al Nesa from the right flank.

Abul Hossain had given Bangladesh a deserved lead on the half hour when his glancing header on a corner by Alfaz Ahmed gave Cambodian goalkeeper Oum Veasna no chance.

Bangladesh's Indian coach Syed Nayeemuddin made one change in the line-up from the sides that lost 2-0 to Syria and 1-0 to India by bringing in veteran Alfaz for Robin.

The striking duo, Alfaz and Emily, generated enough attacks but Bangladesh failed to capitalise on their superior ball possession.

Their first real chance came after 15 minutes when Emily played superb overhead pass for Alfaz who miskicked under pressure from a defender as Veasnapicke dup the ball comfortably.

Abul, adjudged man-of-the-match, then released Emily with a through from the midfield seven minutes later but the striker's first touch took the ball out of his control and allowed Veasna to clear for a corner.

Ariful, whose defensive errors cost Bangladesh three goals in the tournament in the first two games, then forced a superb save when his 40-yard lob was palmed over for a corner by Veasna.

The resulting corner put Bangladesh ahead as Abul, unmarked by the rival defence, put a free header into the far corner.

Veasna fumbled on two occasions in the last five minutes before the break but Bangladeshi forwards failed to take the rebounds.

Playing their third match inside five days, Bangladeshi booters showed tired legs immediately after the interval but Cambodia, who lost 4-3 to Kyrgyzstan in their opener, hardly threatened to score despite good runs on the break.

Bangladesh again picked up the tempo and Ariful's another long-range effort was spectacularly punched out by Veasna in the 71st minute.

Sam El Nasa took the first shot on the rival goal but Biplab was not disturbed at all but he had little to do when Kosal put a right-footer into the far corner on the brink of the final whistle.

Nayeemuddin admitted after the match that he was disappointed not to win the game.

"We made one mistake and paid for it. The defenders should have covered after going up but they failed. Anyway, I am proud of my players because they have played tremendously well," said Nayeem, whose boys take on Kyrgyzstan in their last match tomorrow.

"The players came ere just after a long league and here also, they are playing with the shortest possible gap," he added.

Syria and hosts India, who meet today, lead the round-robin league with six points after two outings each.

Kyrgyzstan have three points while Bangladesh, the only team to have played three games, and Cambodia are bottom of the table with one point each.

The top two teams will meet in the August 29 final.

India 1-0 Bangladesh

India defeated hardworking Bangladesh 1-0 to claim their second straight win in the five-nation Nehru Cup tournament on Monday.

Skipper Baichung Bhutia tapped in a loose ball from near the goal line in the fourth minute, handing Bangladesh a second defeat following their 2-0 reverse against favourites Syria.

Substitute Clifford Miranda then struck the cross-bar as India, 6-0 winners over Cambodia in their opener, attacked furiously in the second half without managing to score.

Bangladesh's Defensive Style Worry India

Bangladesh might have lost 0-2 in their opening match of the Nehru Cup International Football Tournament to title favourites Syria but their defensive approach is a matter of concern for India ahead of their encounter here Monday.

India captain Bhaichung Bhutia is apprehensive that it would be difficult for the hosts to score goals if the neighbours play a defensive game.

'Bangladesh played good defensive football in the first half against Syria. And if they continue playing the same game against us for the full 90 minutes then it would be really difficult for us to score goals,' said Bhutia, after the team's practice session at Janaki Devi Memorial College Sunday evening.

'They had seven players playing in the defence against Syria.'

Last time the two teams met was in the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Pakistan, where India defeated Bangladesh 2-0 to lift the trophy.

It was under Syed Nayeemuddin's guidance that India won the tournament. But in the following days the All India Football Federation (AIFF) sacked the veteran after the players allegedly revolted against his 'dictatorial attitude'.

Nayeem is now Bangladesh coach but he has maintained that revenge is not in his mind and said that he wants to see his wards giving 100 percent on the field.

'Every game is important for us and India is no different. I have always said that we play to win and against India it won't be any different. We will play attacking football,' he said.

Nayeem, the only sports personality in India to have received the Arjuna Award (as player) and the Dronacharya Award (as coach), admitted that his boys played defensive against Syria Saturday but added that he would change their mindset.

'The last match against Syria was a practice match for us because we didn't play much before coming to India. But, anyway, India will be tough especially after their 6-0 win against Cambodia,' said Nayeem, who was appointed as Bangladesh chief coach last month.

Nayeem might be reading much in India's convincing win over Cambodia. But India coach Bob Houghton is not reading too much in Bangladesh's loss to Syria.

'Bangladesh playing Syria and Bangladesh playing India are totally different. I thought they (Bangladesh) played very defensively but I expect them to come hard at us tomorrow,' said Houghton.

When asked whether he is aware of the rivalry between the two teams, Houghton said: 'You are asking the wrong person. I don't know about the enormity of the match but I was told about it yesterday.'

Bhutia, however, said that Nayeemuddin might have some strategy against his former team.

'He knows this (India) team very well as maximum of the boys have been coached by him. Nayeem Saab is well aware of the boys and I am sure that he will have some plans for us,' said Bhutia.

For India, N.P. Pradeep, who is down with injury, will be the only absentee from the starting line-up against Bangladesh and will be replaced by East Bengal mid-fielder Mehrajuddin Wadoo.

'We are looking forward to get Pradeep fit by Thursday for the match against Syria. Both Wadoo and Pradeep are a similar kind of players,' said Houghton.

Syria 2-0 Bangladesh

Bangladesh got off on the wrong foot as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Syria in their opening Nehru Cup match at the Ambedker Stadium in New Delhi yesterday.

Syria struck both the goal in the second-half after an evenly competed first 45 minutes where Bangladesh looked a slightly better side.

Sporting green and white shirts, the boys of Nayeemuddin did well to keep the top-ranked side of the five-nation invitational tournament at bay in the first-half with tough marking. Moreover they created two half-chances on the break with first effort of left-back Titu missing the far post. Zahid then drove a 25-yard right-footer just over the bar.

Syria, who had earlier won their two previous meetings with Bangladesh, however quickly showed why they have been tipped as the team to beat in the meet. They put an extra attacker down the left side after the break and it gave them instant result.

Captain Maher Al Sayed opened the scoring in the 47th minute with a swerving right-footer that hit the left-hand corner of Biplob's post.

Zayed Chaabo then struck the second with a left-foot grounder from inside the box.

Bangladesh will take on hosts India tomorrow in their next match.

India won the tournament opener against Cambodia 6-0 on Friday.

Bangladesh Face Syria

Bangladesh will kick off their Nehru Cup campaign today when they take on favourites Syria at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi in the second match of the tournament.

Zee Sports will telecast the match live from 7.30pm Bangladesh time.

The event got under way yesterday in the Indian capital with hosts India facing rank-outsiders Cambodia after President Pratibha Patil declared the five-team meet open.

Bangladesh have never beaten Syria - the highest ranked team in the tournament - but both their previous meetings in the 80s resulted in close shaves.

Syria, currently placed 113 in FIFA rankings, won 1-0 when they first met Bangladesh in Kuwait in the Asian Nations Cup in 1980.

The two sides were face to face again four years later in Indonesia in the Asian Cup qualifiers with the Syrians winning 2-1.

However, the two teams headed separate directions since then. While the Syrians have reached just behind the top Asian nations, Bangladesh have hardly impressed outside south Asian regional tournaments.

Bangladesh, under Indian coach Syed Nayeemuddin, have a new look team that would be the base of the SAFF Championship to be held this December.

Nayeemuddin, expected to exploit his familiar conditions to boost the team's performance on Indian soil, has picked four new faces in the squad after retirement of a few players and injury to number one goalkeeper Aminul and centre-back Sujan.

Senior striker Alfaz Ahmed, however, returned from international retirement to boost the squad, led for the first time by central defender Nazrul Islam.

Bangladesh, who reached New Delhi on Thursday, trained yesterday at the Zanki Devi Memorial College ground for a couple of hours and all the players were in sound condition, according to a message received in Dhaka.

Meanwhile, Syria were the first foreign team to arrive and got more time to get accustomed to the conditions.

They brought a relatively young side under coach Fajer Ibrahim, who has been in charge for the last two years.

They had to leave six key players back home with four preparing for this month's Beijing Olympics qualifier against Bahrain while two other Syrians were not released by their clubs in Kuwait and Jordan.

The Syrian team also have several under-23 players who participated in the Doha Asian Games last year.

Meanwhile, Nayeemuddin told Indian media on arrival that he has to live up to the reputation of being an Indian coach in a neighbouring country.

It was under Nayeem that India lifted the 2005 SAFF Championship beating Bangladesh in the final in Pakistan but this time the Dronacharya Award winner faces a much tougher challenge.

Agencies add: "I have always believed in playing to win and this won't be any different," the 60-year-old coach said.

Nayeem is the only person to have won both the Arjuna Award (as player) and the Dronacharya (as coach).

India might have tasted their last success under Nayeem, but the veteran coach was at the receiving end when players joined hands to protest against the coach's alleged dictatorial attitude.

Nayeem was sacked unceremoniously but he now maintains that he has no hard feelings against the players or the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF).

"I am a sportsman and I take all these things sportingly. They (players) are a part of me and I have no hard feelings for them. These things keep happening in a sportsperson's life," he said philosophically.

"Here nothing is new for me. It's my country and I will also be playing at the same old stadium."

When asked if revenge against India is on his mind this time, Nayeem smiled and said: "I have come here to win the hearts of my people."

'The match against Syria will be the first big test for us and then we have to take it one game at a time,' said Nayeem.

He has also promised his wards a treat at the famous Karim's restaurant in the walled city if they perform well in the tournament.

While interacting with media persons, Nayeem saw current India coach Bob Houghton pass by and rushed forward to greet the Englishman.

"I am looking forward to learning from you for the sake of Bangladesh team, if you are not selfish," Nayeem jokingly told Houghton, who smiled in return.

Booters Leave Today For Nehru Cup

Syed Nayeemuddin returns to his homeland with a completely different role he had played in the past.

The former Indian international and coach, who guided India to win the SAFF Football Championship twice including the previous title in 2005, will be up against his home team when he leads Bangladesh in the five-nation Nehru Cup which kicks off on Saturday.

Bangladesh football team will fly for New Delhi today without any particular target, as said by Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president SA Sultan in yesterday's press conference at the BFF Bhaban.

"We have no target in the two tournaments," said Sultan referring to the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, where the BFF is sending a second-string national team.

"We want to finish with honour in the two events and hope to build a good team for the SAFF Championship," Sultan told.

Bangladesh play pre-tournament favourites Syria in their opener before meeting India, Cambodia and Kyrgyzstan in the league matches.

Nayeemuddin, showing no emotion about returning to India and the prospect of facing a team he had built before being relieved of charge, said 'fighting all the way' is his target apart from improving day by day.

Having picked up his side just over two weeks earlier, the preparation at BKSP was hampered by heavy showers and unplayable conditions. And the coach feels lack of combination and understanding might be their main worry in the prestigious tournament.

"That's certainly a drawback. I would have liked to see the players involved in practice matches, but you can't fight against the nature, we have to overcome this limitation in the future.

"You have to groom the players properly. Saudi Arabia sent their youth teams to Brazil for training. Moroccan youngsters visits Holland, it's like an investment, which we don't have here," he said adding that sponsors must come forward to stand beside the national teams.

"My motto is to fight and fight. Those who represent Bangladesh have the motivation to do that and I have told them not to fear whatever opponents they are facing. We don't want lose before the match begins," told Nayeemuddin.

"You can be successful if you play as a team and implement your abilities. We may win we may lose but the focus would be to play the level best.

"Also, without discipline, success is impossible. So I will try my best to maintain that during the trip."

Responding to the strong criticism of BFF's decision to send two national teams to different tournaments, Nayeemuddin said there was little difference between the two sides.

"Both teams are equally strong and both are Bangladesh national teams. The level of motivation is similar for players. There is no use drawing a line between the two," Nayeem added.

First time chosen to lead the national team, Abahani centre-back Nazrul Islam said that the main advantage of the team could be playing the tournament just after the professional football league.

"We come straight from the field after the six-month long B. League and the fitness level is good," said Nazrul, the steadiest performer of the season.

"In the national camp, the coach went step by step. He felt that as we have played a lot of football, our muscles were weaker and he initially emphasised on power training before we began to work with the ball," he said.

Like the coach, the new captain also felt the lack of match practice.

"We have a number of newcomers. It would be better if we could play a few matches," added Nazrul whose side played just one match at BKSP against the local youth team.

The team for Merdeka Cup, under coach Hasanuzzaman Babloo, will leave for Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

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Syria Bring Young Squad

Bangladesh take on Syria in their lung-opener on the second day of the ONGC Nehru Cup international football tournament beginning at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Friday.

The 27-member Syrian team led by Tajeddin Fares, vice president of the country's soccer federation, arrived here yesterday to become the first foreign team to reach the Indian capital for the five-nation competition.

The Syrians, who had a two hour workout here soon after arrival, are without six key players, four of whom are preparing back home for this month's Beijing Olympics qualifier against Bahrain on August 22.

Fares informed that two other Syrian players have not been released by their clubs in Kuwait and Jordan.

However, he was confident about his team's prospects in the tournament.

Syrian coach Fajer Ibrahim, who has been in charge for the last two years, said Syria had beaten Kyrgyzstan in the last World Cup qualifier and have a very good record against Bangladesh.

They also beat Jordan and Lebanon before losing to Iraq in the semifinal in the West Asia Cup tournament.

"We have a good team but we don't take other teams lightly. We have some talented youngsters who can deliver the goods in the absence of some key players," said former international Ibrahim, who played for the national team for five years.

Syria, placed 113 in FIFA rankings, are the highest top-ranked team in the tournament.

The Syrian team consist of several under-23 players who had represented their country at the Doha Asian Games last year.

A big challenge for the Syrian team is getting accustomed to the hot and humid conditions in Delhi.

Top Players to Go to Nehru Cup

Syed Nayeemuddin finally chose to take the best possible team to Nehru Cup in India as it had been expected.

The new Bangladesh coach named his first national team yesterday alongside the second string side, which will participate in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia.

Although the initial plan of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) had been to strike balance between the two sides for this month's two international meets, former Indian international and coach Nayeem opted to give exposure to the team that would be the base of the SAFF Championship squad.

Centre-back Nazrul Islam, who has had an outstanding season with B. League champions Abahani, will lead Bangladesh in the Nehru Cup against teams like Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia and hosts India. Goalkeeper Biplab Bhattachariya has been chosen his deputy.

The team also include Muktijoddha striker Alfaz Ahmed, who returns to the national fold from international retirement to partner Zahid Hassan Emily, the Abahani star voted player of the country's inaugural professional football league.

A mix of experience and youth, Nayeemuddin's side also have four new caps -- third keeper Mamun Khan, fullbacks Mishu and Rajib and midfielder Liton apart from defender Saikat, who had previously represented the national Olympic team.

Three of the four newcomers played for Farashganj while Mishu was impressive with Sheikh Russel.

Veteran local coach Hasanuzzaman Babloo will be in charge of the Malaysia-bound team with Hassan Al Mamun getting the armband.

The ace Muktijoddha rightback had missed international activities in the entire last season due to injury and it would help him to fightback into the main side in near future.

It would comparatively be the more experienced team with veterans like Parvez Babu, Mahmudul Hassan, Matiur Munna and Saifur Rahman Moni all having previous international experience.

Moni, however, will be the only seasoned striker with two Mohammedan first-timers -- Mohammedan's Mohammed Rony and Khulna Abahani's GM Mamun -- chosen as his partners.

"It was very difficult to select two teams simultaneously. In such a short time with weather being a constant hazard, we hardly had the time to play match," said Nayeemuddin.

"I am satisfied with the fitness. Lack of combination and understanding remain the main problem and we need to play matches," he said adding that his team beat the BKSP kids by a solitary goal in yesterday's practice match.

"The grounds here were unplayable due to rain but the players have been hundred percent sincere. I don't think there is much difference in strength between the two teams. It's now a mental job for the players to prove they are not inferior.

"The opposition teams (in Nehru Cup) would be strong but our performance would depend on how we gel together. We will not overestimate any team and not give up without a fight," the coach added.

BFF acting general secretary and chairman of National Team Management Committee Manzoor Hossain Malu backed Nayemuddin's decision to take the best team to Nehru Cup.

"The major thing is that we will have the chance to test the strength of India, who are our main rivals in the SAFF Championship," said Malu.

"We also have a few new faces so it would be good experience and exposure for them playing against India and the others.

"It's true that the team going to Merdeka would be relatively weak but I believe the players would be keen to prove themselves and try win a place in the main team.

"Syria would be too good for us but we hope to fight against Kyrgyzstan and India and I feel we should beat Cambodia," hoped Malu.

The five teams will play in league basis in New Delhi with the top two meeting in the final on August 29. Bangladesh face Syria on August 18, India on August 20, Cambodia on August 22 and Kyrgyzstan on August 24.

Bangladesh play Indonesia (August 21), Singapore (August 23) and Zimbabwe (August 25) in their group in the Merdeka Cup. The semifinals are slated for August 27 and the final on August 29.

Nayeemuddin Needs More Time

Syed Nayeemuddin will take another day to settle his mind before naming two different national teams for this month's Merdeka Cup and Nehru Cup international tournaments.

Bangladesh will send teams of equal strength to the tournaments in Malaysia and India and Nayeemuddin, the former Indian international and coach, who officially took charge as national coach this month, will announce the squads tomorrow instead of today.

"The weather really hampered our training. The ground was waterlogged yesterday so we could not train properly," told Nayeem from the residential camp at BKSP over phone.

"It is also risky. So I want to see them one more day in the field," said Nayeem. Two players including senior centre-back Nazrul Islam picked minor injury and the Indian coach wanted to avoid such risks.

The camp is being run with 47 players and mostly, they did power and physical training in the initial period before going to game practice just a couple of days earlier.

"The footballers have been very sincere in training and I feel they have the urge to do something good. I am satisfied with the fitness," added Nayeem, who has yet to decide which side he will accompany.

"Both the tournaments are tough. So the decision will be taken after discussion with the federation officials."

Acting general secretary of Bangladesh Football Federation and chairman of National Team Management Committee Manzoor Hossain Malu, who spent the entire day at BKSP yesterday, said Nayemuddin should stay with the team that will be the base of the SAFF Football Championship.

"Our main target is SAFF Championship. The stronger teams are coming to the Nehru Cup and I feel it would be more helpful for us if we send the team with Nayeemuddin to India," opined Malu.

Hosts India, Cambodia, Syria, Kyrgyzstan and another team will play in the Nehru Cup (August 18-29) along with Bangladesh.

The organisers, meanwhile, rescheduled the Merdeka Cup (August 18-29) grouping and Bangladesh will be pitted against Indonesia, Singapore and Zimbabwe on August 21, 23 and 25 respectively in Group B.

Myanmar, Lesotho, Laos and hosts Malaysia will play in Group A.

Teams for Nehru and Merdeka Tourneys Announced

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday confirmed Bangladesh's opponents in the two international football tournaments to be played next moth in Malaysia and India.

The BFF has decided to send the senior national team and a second string side to the two tournaments, but they are yet to announce which team will go where.

Apart from hosts Malaysia, the other teams to play in the Merdeka Cup (August 19-29) are Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar and Maldives.

In Delhi, where the ONGC Nehru Cup will be held from August 16-28, Bangladesh will be playing alongside hosts India, Cambodia, Syria, Kyrgyzstan and another team yet to be confirmed.

The groupings will be done later.

Players Report to Nayeemuddin

All the players, except for defender Saikat and GM Mamun, of the 25-member national squad for the Nehru Cup reported to new coach Syed Nayeemuddin yesterday at the BFF Bhaban.

Chittagong Abahani defender Saikat and Khulna Abahani forward Mamun, could not report due to their commitments in the B. League. "Discipline is the main factor for footballers. All the top players of the world are like you. But discipline is the factor that drives them to success," Nayeemuddin told his squad.

"You will have to forget everything to fight for your country as our ultimate target is the SAFF Championship in December," he added.

The footballers will again report on July 24 and the camp is expected to start from August 1.