Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler defended his team’s performance in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Malaysia in the tri-nation series opener, though he expressed disappointment at the result.
The English tactician refrained from blaming any individual for the conceded goal but noted that he felt goalkeeper Rupna Chakma could have done better to preserve the clean sheet.
Malaysia scored against the run of play when Butler’s side was dominating possession. A quick counterattack caught Bangladesh off guard as Rupna rushed out of the penalty area but failed to reach a long cross.
Malaysia forward Nur Ainsyah Binti Murad collected the ball between the onrushing Rupna and defender Kohati Kisku, before finishing into an empty net to silence the home crowd.
“I take full responsibility for the selection and the results, good or bad,” said Butler after the match.
“I thought the team played some really good football, exactly how I want my teams to play. I’m not going to blame anyone for the goal. It had nothing to do with the way we defended.”
“When you are pushing and probing against a team that sits deep, sometimes it becomes a risk-reward situation,” the Bangladesh coach added.
Butler gave a brief critique of Rupna’s involvement in the goal while responding to a query. “She was a little bit slow coming out. I think she half anticipated it — maybe there was a bit of a mix-up.”
However, he also praised Rupna for her overall performance, saying, “I thought Rupna should have dealt with it; she should have come out and cleared it. But I’m not going to criticise her because she saves us on many, many occasions.”
He summed up his thoughts by saying, “I’m happy with the way we played; I’m disappointed with the result.”
Bangladesh will play their second match of the tri-nation series against Azerbaijan next Tuesday.
