Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera said his side deserved more points after a 1-1 draw against hosts Hong Kong, China at a packed Kai Tak Stadium.
A controversial penalty gave the home side a first-half lead, despite a dominating performance by Bangladesh, before Rakib Hossain equalized in the late stages.
“We deserve more points but we end up with one point,” Cabrera said after the match. “Regardless of the points, the match was very competitive. In the second half, even against them, we were pushing and pushing.”
Defender Tariq Kazi had contact with an opponent inside the penalty box, which referee Hiroki Kashara judged as a foul, leading to Hong Kong’s only goal. Cabrera addressed the penalty in the pre-match press conference:
“I spoke to Tariq, and he is convinced he touched the ball first — it was a 50-50 action. But I cannot tell you definitively because I haven’t seen the video yet,” he said.
The Spaniard also talked about adapting to the away conditions at the start of the game:
“We knew it was going to be very, very tough, especially in the first minutes. We had to adapt to the pitch and to the crowd. I think the team did absolutely fantastic again in both games.”
Bangladesh had gone close to a draw in the home tie against Hong Kong last week but conceded in the last minute to lose 4-3. Cabrera reflected on the team’s progress:
“We cannot think in terms of bad luck or good luck. What is clear is that the identity of the team is there — the team keeps progressing and even playing better. In the second half of this game, there were moments of very, very high quality. All of us know we are performing well, but we lack the three points. Once we get those three points, I am confident we will reach the next level, hopefully against India in the next match.”
Sitting beside the coach, scorer Rakib Hossain talked about missed opportunities:
“We had a tough 15 days. We played really well, and every player worked hard. We could have drawn and even won. We missed many opportunities, but God willing, we will do better,” said the Bangladesh forward.
“Playing in front of 45,000 away fans was not easy, but we did it,” he added.
Bangladesh had previously held India to a draw at home before losing 2-1 to Singapore, a match in which a penalty was allegedly not awarded and there was no VAR review.
“We played well against India, then met Singapore in the second match. We dominated that match but lost due to bad luck. In the last two matches, we created many opportunities. Day by day, the team is improving. We need to do better in the future,” Rakib said.
“We believe that we are progressing against higher-ranked teams and hope to continue our development.”
Bangladesh will next face India at home on 18 November before concluding their qualifying campaign against Singapore away on 31 March 2026.
