In their 2022 World Cup qualifying match against India, Bangladesh were held to a draw despite a tremendous showing by a last-minute equalizer by their opponents at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Saad Uddin opened the score for Jamie Day’s men with a header off of captain Jamal Bhuiyan’s freekick before Adil Khan tied the score for India from another set-piece in the 88th minute. This marked the third time Bangladesh have been denied of a first win over India in 16 years.
Bangladesh were unlucky as on one occasion, Syrian referee Masoud Tufayelieh refused to award a penalty to Bangladesh for a clear foul.
In front of a packed stadium with a 90,000-strong crowd, the game went back-and-forth with Bangladesh pressing hard in the first half. After Saad’s goal, Bangladesh switched to a more defensive stance.
In the second half, Bangladesh held strong with India almost conceding a second at one point. Despite a brave performance, however, the team could not contain India for all 90 minutes.
This leaves the team with hope for a better result in the return leg in Dhaka.
