Despite facing numerous challenges, midfielder Sohel Rana said the team is trying to stay positive.
The Bangladesh football team has encountered unexpected difficulties upon arriving in Hong Kong, China. The practice field they were given is in poor condition, and the distance from their hotel to the training ground is quite long. It seems the hosts have started a psychological battle with Hamza, Jamal, and the rest of the squad even before the match begins.
Midfielder Sohel Rana, however, made it clear that despite all the obstacles, the team’s mindset remains strong and optimistic.
Bangladesh will face Hong Kong on Tuesday in the return leg of the third round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers. The memory of their 4-3 defeat in the thrilling first-leg encounter still haunts Hamza and Shomit’s side. To keep their qualification hopes alive, Bangladesh desperately needs a win away from home.
On Sunday, coach Javier Cabrera led the team’s training session at Hong Kong’s Tsing Yi Sports Ground. To recover from the long journey, he focused heavily on recovery drills. However, the team struggled to adapt to the poor field conditions. In a message shared by the Bangladesh Football Federation, Sohel mentioned that they came prepared for such challenges.
“We knew we’d have to face these kinds of things, and we came here with that mindset. Yesterday, it took us over an hour to reach the training ground from the hotel. And the pitch—what can I say—it was really poor,” said Sohel.
“We were mentally prepared for this kind of treatment. Even today, we trained on the same field, and the condition is still the same. But we’re not letting these issues affect our game. Whatever they do off the field, we’re ready for it.”
Sohel sees Hong Kong’s off-field “mind games” as something to take positively. He insisted that the team won’t let outside factors influence their performance on the pitch. The experienced midfielder also emphasized avoiding the same mistakes from the first leg.
“After playing the match in Bangladesh, we focused on recovery sessions here. Our main goal is to adapt to the conditions and avoid repeating the mistakes we made earlier. We’re confident that we can beat them. Inshallah, we want to win this match,” said Sohel.
“It’s their home game, and naturally, they’ll try to take advantage. But we’re handling it professionally. They’re giving us poor pitches and distant training grounds, but we’re not taking it negatively. As players, we’re staying positive and focused on the game.”
