Bangladesh find unlikely hero in Ibrahim

Mohammed Ibrahim made a dream return to the national team, scoring his fifth international goal just four minutes after coming off the bench to hand Bangladesh a 1-0 victory over Bhutan in their SAFF Championship opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday.

The forward had last been part of Bangladesh's squad for an international friendly against Nepal in September last year. After nearly a year away from the national team, Ibrahim marked his return in style, delivering the decisive moment when Bangladesh needed it most.

Bangladesh had created several chances in the first half but failed to find a way past a stubborn Bhutan defence. With the visitors holding firm, head coach Thomas Dooley turned to his bench after the break in search of a breakthrough.

Ibrahim was introduced in the 65th minute in place of Bishwanath Ghosh, who had been deployed as an unusual centre-forward. Four minutes later, Ibrahim broke the deadlock, turning Bangladesh's pressure into the winning goal.

For Ibrahim, the strike was particularly special. Having missed out on Bangladesh's final squad for the FIFA ASEAN Cup last September, the forward had been waiting for an opportunity to prove his worth. He made the most of it on his return to the national side.

"It feels really good. Scoring after returning to the national team following such a long time means a lot to me. I am quite satisfied with myself, and I thank Almighty Allah. I feel really good," Ibrahim said after the match.

Ibrahim, who is more accustomed to playing as a forward, explained that he had been asked can operate in a different role as Bangladesh looked to make up for the absence of a recognised striker.

"As we don't have a proper striker, so our main approach is to play through the wings. Today, I started specifically as a false nine. I moved from the number 10 position into the striker's role. After I came on, Shamit played as the number nine. I am happy that I could do the job," he said.

Despite securing three points, Ibrahim was far from satisfied with Bangladesh's overall performance, admitting that the team should have done more against Bhutan.

"We didn't have a striker, but we should have played better. We should have made the supporters happier. Maybe we should have won by a bigger margin," he said.

Ibrahim's return was also a personal response to his omission from the squad for the ASEAN Cup. Bangladesh left him out, but he scored for Fortis FC against Kyrgyzstan's Muras United in the AFC Challenge League qualifiers to help his club progress to the next round.

The forward admitted that he had been waiting for precisely this kind of opportunity to make his case for a national team place.

"I have been waiting for a moment like this for a long time. I was waiting for an opportunity and hoping that, whenever it came, I could make the most of it. By the grace of Almighty Allah, I managed to do that today, and I am really happy," he said.

Dooley, meanwhile, admitted that Ibrahim's match-winning contribution had come as something of a surprise. The Bangladesh coach had brought him on primarily to improve the team's ability to hold the ball and create opportunities rather than expecting him to score himself.

Explaining the tactical change, Dooley said Bishwanath had begun to tire after working hard in an unfamiliar attacking role. The coach then decided to bring Ibrahim into the number 10 position and push Shamit Shome further forward.

"Bishwanath was getting a little tired from all the running. We needed somebody who could hold the ball and give Shamit, Rakib and Fahim time to get into position. That's why Ibrahim was the perfect player to bring into midfield," Dooley explained.

"Shamit had done a lot of work as a number 10, dropping into pockets to receive the ball from the defence and move it forward. So I thought it would be better to take Bishwanath off, put Ibrahim at number 10 and move Shamit up front. That would also allow Shamit to save his legs a little and perhaps get into the box for a header."

The coach had expected Ibrahim to create a chance for someone else rather than finish the move himself.

"I wasn't thinking that Ibrahim could score. I was more expecting him to set somebody up. But that's football. A good footballer can create those moments," he said.

Ibrahim's return also offered a reminder of how difficult it can be for a new coach to assess an entire squad in a short period. Dooley said he was still learning about the players' abilities and what they could bring to the national team.

"You're coming into a new country and you don't know all the players. You have to figure out what kind of quality each player has and who you can count on. Sometimes you don't see anything in training and you send them home, as happened with him. Then he scores a goal and assists another, and you start wondering what he did there that he didn't show us before," Dooley said.

"Sometimes players are shy. They need to show their quality over a period of time. Ibrahim showed it this time in training, which is why I was happy to keep him in the squad and give him a chance in the game."

While Ibrahim provided the decisive moment, Bishwanath's unusual role also stood out. The experienced defender spent 65 minutes playing as Bangladesh's number nine, a tactical experiment that Dooley said was based on the player's intensity and willingness to take risks.

"Bishwanath is a very intense player. If I play him in central defence, there is always a risk of a penalty or a card. I thought he could be an alternative at right-back, but even there he sometimes has to get into the box," Dooley said.

"Playing as a number nine carries the risk of getting injured, but Bishwanath is not afraid of that. I was hoping he would score, but unfortunately he didn't. Still, I was satisfied with his performance."