Day eyes experiment, players trophy

Bangladesh coach Jamie Day is still focused on giving game-time to younger players as the men in red and green take on hosts Nepal in the final of the Three Nations Cup at the Dasharath Rangasala in Kathmandu today.

"I will still be looking at the players. As I said before we came here, the focus is not on the outcome here but getting players ready for June [World Cup Qualifiers]," Day told The Daily Star over phone from Nepal. "If we win the final, it will be great but the main focus is on giving players game-time.

Day used all the players except for goalkeeper Ashraful Islam Rana in the two group matches against Kyrgyzstan U-23 and Nepal.  He is now thinking of reshuffling his starting XI in the final match. 

"We will just rotate players around again so that all the players get the same amount of game-time," Day said. "[I'm] very pleased with everyone. They have worked extremely hard and played some good football and kept two clean sheets."

The players, though, are determined to put up a good show to lift the trophy for the nation in the month of March as the nation celebrates its golden jubilee of independence.

It is the first time since the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in 2015 that Bangladesh have reached the final of any tournament. The hosts had lost that final 3-2 against Malaysia U-23. Bangladesh senior team's last success was lifting the 2003 SAFF Championship trophy in Dhaka even though the U-23 team later emerged champions in the 2010 SA Games in Dhaka.

Forward Suman Reza said that they want to return home with a trophy.

"The players have good momentum after playing two matches. They are also determined to produce a good result in the final in a bid to return home with a trophy," Suman told The Daily Star, adding that he would give his best effort to get goals in the final if he is given an opportunity in the playing eleven.

"Before playing against Nepal, we have kept one thing in our mind that we would not lose to them even if we don't beat them. However, we want to win the final tomorrow [Monday] and we must score goals for that. We need to avail the opportunities as soon as we get them in front of the Nepal goal," said forward Mahbubur Rahman Sufil.

Midfielder Mohammad Abdullah, however, believes they will have to make quick movements in the attacking third against Nepal, who have a solid defence.

The tournament has so far seen only one goal scored in three matches. That goal was an own goal scored by a Kyrgyzstan defender in the opening match against Bangladesh.