Bangladesh centre-back Topu Barman said on Saturday that he is fully fit to play and urged everyone to forget the “unexpected” home defeat against Hong Kong, China, in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and focus instead on winning the return leg, scheduled to be held at Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday.
The men in red and green are determined to bounce back in the crucial away fixture after suffering a dramatic 4-3 loss at home, conceding the decisive goal in the final minute on Thursday.
“The match we lost was unexpected for us and especially for the fans. It was sad, but we have to forget it and focus on the next match,” said Topu after arriving in Hong Kong on Saturday.
The team landed in Hong Kong at around 2am, following a transit in Bangkok, and held their first training session in the afternoon, where Topu spoke to the media.
“It was an unexpected defeat,” said Topu about the home setback. “The goal we conceded in the last 30 seconds — we should have been more concentrated and more sensible.”
“We have to move on. We still have a chance. We all want to perform well together on the 14th. We have no alternative but to win,” he added.
“When you lose one match and then win the next, everything changes. We have this in mind and are preparing accordingly,” said the defender.
Topu had been struggling with an injury since the start of the training camp and missed the previous match, but now sounded confident about his return.
“I’m 100 percent fit and ready to play,” he said.
Team manager Amer Khan also expressed optimism ahead of the away clash.
He said, “If they can beat us at home, why can’t we beat them away? We are trying to do exactly that.”
After holding India to a draw away in their opening qualifier, Bangladesh came close to securing points against both Singapore and Hong Kong, but ultimately fell short and now sit bottom of the group.
If Javier Cabrera’s side lose to Hong Kong again, they will be out of the competition.
Hong Kong currently lead Group C with seven points from three matches, while Bangladesh have collected only one point from the same number of outings.
Only the group winner will qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals.
