Sports Desk //

After a disappointing defeat against Malaysia, Bangladesh is aiming to bounce back against Singapore. Ahead of their second match in the ASEAN Cup, Jamal Bhuyan and his teammates are preparing by analyzing their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Midfielder Shamith Som has expressed a desire to exact “revenge” for the losses suffered in their previous two encounters.

Bangladesh will face Singapore on Monday at 3:00 PM (Bangladesh time) at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia. They had lost their opening match against Malaysia 3–0. Shamith spoke to the media today ahead of the upcoming match.

Regarding preparations for the Singapore game, Shamith said, “You could say we’ve played two matches against them in the last year. We also observed how they played against Indonesia. We are learning from that, considering how to exploit their weaknesses and how to counter their strengths. Essentially, we are preparing to ensure we are fully ready for the match.”

The results of Bangladesh’s previous two matches against Singapore are also providing extra motivation for the team. He said, “We lost to them twice. We have a desire for revenge. This is also a great opportunity to perform well in the ASEAN Cup, and we are preparing with that goal in mind.”

Shamith believes the opponent’s style of play is not unknown to Bangladesh. “They have a structure and a distinct identity. We know how they play. They have two or three rotation patterns that could be dangerous, and a couple of players who are very threatening. However, we are already aware of this. We are trying to learn from where they succeeded against us in previous matches. Under the new coach, we are trying to incorporate key adjustments based on those insights so we can perform well in this game.”

Despite the confidence blow from the loss to Malaysia, Shamith insisted that everything is fine, stating, “Everything within the team is good.” “Naturally, none of us are happy with how we played in Malaysia. However, we will strive to put in a better performance. The main thing is that we need to move forward to the next match. Everyone’s focus is now on Singapore.”

Describing the performance against Malaysia as disappointing, Shamit noted that this very disappointment now serves as motivation. “We don’t really need any external motivation. We know we didn’t play well in the last match. As footballers, we want to win and perform well in the competition; that is our motivation. And the biggest motivation right now is the match against Singapore. We have lost to them twice before. There were times when it felt like we could have secured at least a point, or perhaps even won. So, this is a great opportunity for redemption.”

According to the New York Cosmos midfielder, the loss to Malaysia also starkly highlighted Bangladesh’s shortcomings. In Shamit’s words, “It is a great honor for us to compete in this FIFA ASEAN Cup. We are playing against strong opponents. If we want to progress as a nation, we must compete against teams of this caliber. The first match came as a bit of a shock to us. We realized that we need to improve further and get our act together. We learned from that match, and now we want to apply those lessons against Singapore.”

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