India has already been eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. In Group ‘C’, their remaining two matches are now just formalities. One of those matches is against Bangladesh. Despite being a formality, India is determined to beat Jamal Bhuiyan’s team at any cost — confirmed head coach Khalid Jamil.
Like India, Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the main stage of the Asian Cup are also over. On October 14, Javier Cabrera’s men drew 1–1 with Hong Kong in their last match. On the same day, India suffered a 2–1 defeat against Singapore, confirming both teams’ exits from the qualifiers.
India will face Bangladesh at the National Stadium on November 18. Their previous encounter in March ended in a goalless draw. After four matches each, both India and Bangladesh have 2 points, sitting third and fourth respectively in the group standings.
Following the loss to Singapore, the Indian team is desperate to bounce back against Bangladesh. In an interview with The Telegraph, Jamil said, “The next match against Bangladesh is very important for us. We must win it at any cost. The national team really needs a victory right now.”
Jamil wants to put recent failures behind and start fresh. He said, “I took responsibility for the loss against Singapore. There’s no point dwelling on it now. We lost because of some mistakes — we must look ahead.”
The Indian coach also emphasized the need for quality players. “We need good footballers who can fight till the end, give everything on the field, and are ready to do whatever it takes for the team,” he said.
Meanwhile, uncertainty looms over Indian football as the country’s top league faces scheduling issues. However, Jamil believes it will not affect the national team’s performance. “Why should it? What happens in domestic football isn’t in the players’ hands. Our job is to give our best for the country. I remain optimistic about the league,” he added.