Hamza Chowdhury isn’t disappointed that his debut match didn’t end in a win, but he believes that it was a bad day for Bangladesh.
The final whistle blew, and the whole team gathered at the corner of the dugout for a selfie. From a distance, it was hard to tell if anyone was upset about the fact that Hamza’s debut in Bangladesh’s jersey wasn’t colored by a victory.
After taking the selfie, Hamza started heading to the dressing room with his teammates, but then he turned back toward the stands. Among those present were the president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Tabith Awal, and other officials who had come to Shillong before the match.
Hamza waved at them from a distance in a polite gesture before continuing toward the dressing room. As he walked, a different scene unfolded. Faisal Ahmed Fahim seemed to be explaining something to regular captain Jamal Bhuiyan, who hadn’t had a chance to play against India. Tapu Barman was talking to Hamza about something as well. Nobody seemed overly excited.
There was no real reason for Hamza to be happy either. In the third-round match of the Asian Cup qualifiers at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday, Bangladesh paid the price for squandering multiple opportunities against India. The match ended in a goalless draw, and Hamza’s debut was not filled with the joy of a victory.
On his way back to the team hotel through the mixed zone, Hamza reluctantly agreed to speak to the media despite being bombarded with questions. There, the defensive midfielder, who is on loan from Sheffield United, didn’t hide his disappointment about not winning.
“We could have won today, but missed chances happen in football. It happens in the English Premier League too. Today was just a bad day for us.”
“I tried to use my experience to the best of my ability. I’m really proud to play for Bangladesh. I’ve had a great time with this team over the last five days.”
