DHAKA THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2023, ASHWIN 21, 1430 BS

SPORTS REPORTER from Hangzhou

Smarting from a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Myanmar, Bangladesh Olympic football team will hope to bounce against India in their second match of Hangzhou Asian Games at Xiaoshan Sports Complex Stadium today.

The match will get underway at 2:00pm (Bangladesh time).

Before the crucial do-or-die match against neighbouring India, the men in red and green had their final preparation for nearly two hours at Zhenjiang Sci-Tech University Athletics field yesterday, defying heavy showers, as a victory over India will keep Bangladesh in the race for the Round of 16.

Bangladesh played against India three times in the Asian Games in 1978, in 1982 and in 2002 – losing on all three occasions.

“We are ready for tomorrow’s match,” midfielder Mohammad Ridoy said yesterday. “We are expecting something good if we can implement the plan prepared by the coach.”

“Our first target is to not concede any goals against India and then go into attack,” the 21-year-old midfielder said. “I think India could not recover after coming to China the day before their match (5-1 defeat) but they are not a bad team. However, we are looking forward to a positive result.”