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The day of reckoning

Atique Anam
If you asked a football pundit two weeks ago who were the favourites to take the Bangabandhu Gold Cup title; the names of Bahrain, Thailand and Malaysia
would have propped up without a moment of hesitation. There was a cautious optimism about the hosts; optimism which ranged from a good performance at home’ to 'reaching the last four.'
But ten days after the hosts had kicked off the tournament in the worst possible way, with a 0-1 against Malaysia youth team in Sylhet, they have managed to exceed expectations and move within touching distance of the coveted trophy. So expect a confident Bangladesh team turn up at the home of Bangladesh football, the Bangabandhu National Stadium, when they square off against their early nemesis in the grand final today.
The stage is set for one final flourish. The
soul of the country's football - the passionate fans - are back. The belief that has betrayed them on so many occasions is firmly rooted for a team that is not only positive in their approach but also look adamant to learn from their mistakes.
Ever since that opening game defeat, Bangladesh have gone from strength to strength. An assuring victory in the last group match against Sri Lanka was followed by a clinical 1-0 win against Thailand in the semifinal. The most pleasing aspect in those victories, especially in the latest one; was that the players managed to lift themselves up both physically and mentally, hold their breath for 90 minutes and execute the coach'sgameplan efficiently.
However it could be a different ball game altogether today as the hosts have had less than 48 hours to recover. In fact, they opted not to train yesterday, rather spending time in the gym, by the poolside, taking hydrotherapy and analysing their gameplan for the big matdi.
In the opening match, Bangladesh
looked like a bunch of rabbits caught in the headlights; they had little clue who the Malaysians were and what sort of threat they might pose. Coach Lodewijk de Kruif, in the pre-match press briefing, implied that they have wised up to the Malaysian challenge, which he feels is their ability to go on the offensive with a quick interchange of passes with wingers overlapping together and finding the target from a distance
These were the same threats expected from the Thais in the semifinal, and from the way the Bangladesh defence and midfield minimised those threats, leaving little space to the opposition while moving up in tandem when in possession, there is reason to be optimistic about Bangladesh's chances.
As far as the team selection is concerned, de Kruif is not expected to tinker with his starting eleven and formation, given the fact that these players have performed their job in their specific roles with greater assurance.
The Malaysians, on the other hand, are
expected to make one forced change from their semifinal line-up as their influential winger, Syahrul Azwari, reportedly hasn't recovered from a knee injury.
Adam Nor, the technically gifted number nine, is expected to pose the greatest threat in front of goal, while skipper Nazirul Naim's deadly set-pieces and the long-range attempts from the other forwards will be something that Bangladesh will need to be careful about.
Having played all their matches at the Sylhet venue thus far, the Malaysians will have to play the most important match at a new venue in front of a raucous and partisan crowd. But the Malaysia coach is seemingly least bothered about the venue or the crowd, as he feels his team are up to the challenge. And they have a small piece of history to inspire them in the final. It was at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on January 10, 1997 that the Malaysia youth team (Malaysia B) lifted the title of the inaugural edition of this very tournament.