Hamza Chowdhury is relishing the joy of bringing smiles to 180 million faces after Bangladesh’s win over India.
As the final whistle blew, coaches, players, and team staff rushed onto the field from the dugout. Some embraced the match-winner Sheikh Morsalin, while others hugged Hamza Chowdhury. After 84 minutes of tireless defending, including added time, Mitul and Topura celebrated the victory. Football fans in the stands erupted in cheers. Even later, at the press conference, Hamza seemed to relive the same jubilant moment.
Welcomed with applause by the media, the England-based defensive midfielder shared his delight, saying, “This will certainly be among the greatest achievements of my career.”
On Tuesday, at the National Stadium, Bangladesh defeated India 1–0 in the third-round return leg of the Asian Cup qualifiers. Sheikh Morsalin scored the decisive goal in the 12th minute, shaping the match’s outcome.
At the press conference, however, it was Hamza—not Morsalin—who spoke. With a radiant smile, he expressed the satisfaction of seeing hard work and dedication pay off:
“I joined the camp quite late. The coach, coaching staff, and players have been here for nearly 23 days—over 500 hours of hard work, away from family, staying in hotels, all for the country and their families. Alhamdulillah, today the results have paid off.”
“Shomit and I joined a bit late, trying to add some discipline and mentality. Today, we showed that mentality. We played well in the last four matches tactically, but kept stumbling at the final stage. Today was the opposite—we may not have controlled the ball perfectly, but we proved how stable we can be. Now it’s time to combine both aspects and move forward, Inshallah.”
For Bangladesh fans, this was their first opportunity to celebrate a victory over India since 2003. Hamza shared the joy of reviving the feeling of that 22-year-old memory, though the disappointment of not qualifying for the next stage remains.
“Today, we’ve made 180 million people happy. Nowhere else in the world is this possible. This will certainly be among the greatest achievements of my career.”
“Yes, it’s painful not to qualify, but this was a kind of final. People have waited 22 years for a big win. Today, it happened. We knew the performance would be there; this time we needed the result. The performance may not have been perfect, but the result came. In March, we’ll rebuild and combine both to return as a stronger team, Inshallah.”
Bangladesh will face Singapore in the final qualifier match in March. Riding the euphoria of beating India, Hamza looks ahead with hope:
“This is definitely a dream fulfilled. But one can have many dreams. This is one of them. Inshallah, we will qualify for a major tournament soon. We’ve proven we are capable. We just need time and patience.”
