Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome is optimistic about keeping control of the midfield in the upcoming second-leg match of the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Despite playing four matches for Bangladesh, Shamit Shome is still waiting to taste his first victory. Bangladesh, too, have played four games in the third round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers without a single win. Just like the team, Shamit is also chasing that elusive first triumph. Before heading into Saturday’s training session, the Canada-based midfielder expressed confidence that the upcoming match against India could finally bring what both he and the team have been waiting for.
Maintaining control in the midfield will be crucial. It’s also essential to break the trend of losing focus late in matches and conceding last-minute goals. Shamit believes that on Tuesday, at the National Stadium, they can get everything right against India.
“Yes, we’re confident about keeping control of the midfield. I think the whole team — the goalkeeper, defense, midfield, striking — every position has players who believe we can control the match and win it. We’ve performed well in previous matches, but we’re not getting the win. We deserve a win. Hopefully, this time we’ll get it.”
Shamit also spoke about the recurring issue of conceding late goals.
“These things happen in football (losing focus at the end), right? We just haven’t had luck on our side. Even in the match against Nepal, the corner they got seemed offside, didn’t it? But these things happen in football. I don’t know why we’re losing focus, but I hope luck favors us, we stay focused, and we don’t concede goals like that. The main thing is to stay focused until the final whistle.”
Recent results clearly show this pattern. In the qualifiers, Bangladesh lost 4–3 to Hong Kong after conceding late. And most recently, a last-minute goal against Nepal denied them a potential win.
There’s history with India as well — back in 2019 at Salt Lake Stadium, Bangladesh conceded in the 88th minute and had to settle for a 1–1 draw.
Bangladesh’s last win against India came long ago, in 2003, when Motiur Munna’s golden goal sealed a 2–1 victory in the SAFF Championship semifinal. The two teams last met this March in Shillong, where Bangladesh opened their qualifying campaign with a goalless draw. Shamit didn’t feature in that match, though he watched his teammates from afar. This time, he will face India for the first time — and he already sees areas they can exploit.
“India are a good team, but they have weaknesses too. There’s space between their midfield and defensive lines. You’ve seen how Nepal defended — I don’t think India can defend that well or maintain that structure. We can take advantage of those areas.”
“I know India are good, and we’re good too. This match means a lot, right? There’s a rivalry between us. It’ll be a good contest, but we’ll be ready. Hopefully, we can win. We can play well, perform well. The win we’ve been searching for — hopefully we’ll get it in Tuesday’s match.”
There has been some talk that Bangladeshi-origin players abroad — like Hamza, Shamit, and Zayan — struggle to sync with local players such as Rakib and Sohel. Bangladesh also seemed to lose fluency after Hamza left the pitch in the second half against Nepal. But the 28-year-old midfielder firmly dismissed any suggestion of division.
“I don’t agree with that criticism. We are a team of 11 players — it doesn’t matter who is local or foreign-born, right? To understand how to win, we all need to stay united. We’ve never thought of it as local vs foreign-born players. Bangladesh can’t win like that. We always have to stay together.”
