Unjust to criticise Bangladesh’s effort, says Cabrera

Despite dominating much of the match against the Maldives, Bangladesh ended up on the losing side, prompting sharp criticism of the team.

National team coach Javier Cabrera, however, has expressed his displeasure with the media's response, labelling it "unjust."

Bangladesh showcased superior ball possession and orchestrated more attacking plays throughout the game.

Yet, a failure to convert opportunities meant they had to leave the field with the disappointment of a loss.

The defeat sparked heavy criticism, with Bangladesh's attack coming under scrutiny. Cabrera, however, believes his team controlled the match, even in defeat, and sees the criticism as unwarranted.

The disappointment of playing well but failing to secure a win was alleviated in their second international friendly.

Playing at the Kings Arena, Bangladesh secured a thrilling 2-1 victory thanks to a last-minute goal by Papon Singh.

The match followed a familiar pattern, with Bangladesh dominating in attack but conceding the first goal. Mujibur Rahman Jony's superb strike brought the team level before Papon's stoppage-time goal sealed the victory.

Even though it was a friendly, the win brought relief to the Bangladesh side, as it marked the end of a challenging year on a positive note.

This was their final international fixture of the year, in which they played eight matches, losing six. Before this victory, their only win had come against Bhutan in September.

Understandably, Cabrera wore a smile of satisfaction after such a dramatic win, but he couldn't hide his frustration over the criticism the team had faced.

When asked about the team's inability to score in the previous match, Cabrera defended his players.

"Didn't you see the excellent football we played in the first match?" he said. "In my opinion, we played even better in the first match than in this one. We created more chances then. The mentality, energy, and approach were the same. Yet you only choose to criticise this team, which is completely unjust."

Despite his irritation with the criticism, Cabrera has not lost faith. He emphasised that the belief in victory was always there.

"The mentality we brought into the first match wasn't much different from the second. The planning and attacking intent were the same. Even under pressure, we kept attacking. The players proved their quality in the second half. Nobody here believed we could win after the first match. They criticised us, but even then, we believed we would win."