‘We never lost faith’

One win stands between Bangladesh and a historic SAFF three-peat, but their Goa campaign has been a true trial of their credentials. After a bruising defeat to hosts India, new captain Maria Manda's side ground out a thrilling semi-final victory over Nepal. Off the pitch, the squad battled profound shared grief following the sudden passing of teammate Sheuli Azim’s mother. Ahead of a high-stakes championship rematch against India, the Bangladeshi skipper sat down with Daily Sun to discuss the rollercoaster journey. Below are the excerpts:

Daily Sun: How has the journey been en route to the final?

Maria: Actually, from the very beginning, our goal was to win match by match and do well, and we took the pitch with that aim. In the first match, the way we started, we began well by securing points. Then, in the second match, we lost to India. In the middle of sports, there will always be wins and losses, so we must keep our main goal in sight. Because of that, we did not lose faith. We knew that even though we lost one match, we still had a chance in the semi-final. Keeping that belief, we tried to give our absolute best, and we were able to finish that match well too.

Daily Sun: The margin of defeat to India was one that the country did not see coming. Did this bring you all down mentally?

Maria: As I have been saying, it depends on the match; sometimes even a good team loses. We know that all the teams are very good. No team is just ordinary, all of them are good. India is also a very good team. Just like we believe in ourselves, if we play giving our absolute best, something good will definitely happen.

Daily Sun: Playing against the home team on Indian soil. How challenging will it be?

Maria: There will certainly be a challenge because India is a good team. We actually need to improve on the mistakes we made and fight against them.

Daily Sun: You have a good understanding with Monika Chakma in midfield, having played together for the last 10 years. Are you under pressure more in her absence?

Maria: There will be a little bit of pressure, because I have always played alongside Monika. Now that Monika is not there, it does feel like a bit of pressure.

Daily Sun: You are captaining at the senior level for the first time. Do you feel the pressure of leadership?

Maria: I do not really take on the pressure of captaincy, so I do not feel it. Because I have always been the captain at the age levels... and won tournaments too. I was also the vice-captain in the senior team, so considering that, I do not actually feel that much pressure. Normally, I always try to give my best. In the game, my target is always to give my absolute best in whatever I do, and that is what I try to achieve.

Daily Sun: How much are you enjoying captaincy?

Maria: Enjoyment... honestly, the feeling of smiling and enjoying does not come until the games are over. Because there is one match after another, it stays in our minds that until we completely finish our matches, that deep joy does not really come from within.

Daily Sun: Previously in your role as a midfielder, you were not really that vocal. It changed a bit after captaincy, what is the reason behind this?

Maria: No, no, it is not actually like that. In practice, on the pitch, or outside, I always talk about the game with everyone. Even in the past, when apu (Sabina Khatun) or Pranti (Afeida Khandaker) were captains, we still talked. I mean, the main thing is that communication among us is very important. If you lead a bit or talk on the pitch, the players become alert. For instance, if an opposing player is nearby or things like that, we always talk about these among ourselves. It is not just as a captain; 11 of us play, and if all 11 of us lead, it is good for our team, and we can actually do well.

Daily Sun: Bangladesh won the semi despite going behind, will it provide inspiration to the team going forward?

Maria: The main thing I would say is that it is always in our minds—do you know what our goal is? It is to keep the match under our control until the very end and play well. After stepping onto the pitch, every single minute is important to us. I would say that our first target when taking the field is having a prepared mentality—knowing that during the match, we might concede a goal or we might score one, anything can happen. We need to stay mentally strong so that even after conceding a goal, none of us breaks down. We must play giving our absolute best and get a result out of the game. That is exactly what we take the field with. It is not like we only step onto the pitch just to score goals. Anything can happen depending on the situation of the game, so we go onto the pitch prepared for that. So, at that moment, we conceded a goal, but despite that, we did not lose our faith and always tried to make a comeback. We believed we could bounce back, and we were successful.

Daily Sun: Alongside the seniors in the team, the juniors are also performing well. For instance, Mosammat Sagorika played very well Wednesday, Shamsunnahar Junior also. How do you rate their performance?

Maria: Actually, in the game, the distinction between seniors and juniors does not really exist anymore. It is always about whoever steps onto the pitch playing with their absolute best. Other than that, everything else is separate. The goal is to play together as one single team.

Daily Sun: Recently, the mother of your teammate Sheuli passed away. You are a relative of her, alongside being a teammate. How are you handling this situation, and what is the overall atmosphere of the team right now?

Maria: We have all come here together as a team; we are all a family. So, if something happens to one person, it affects all of us. And especially with Sheuli's mother passing away, she is also a relative of mine, like an elder sister to me. Actually, it was very painful that this happened right before the game; none of us could accept it. Even so, we all stood by Sheuli. Just because one person breaks down, does not mean everyone can afford to break down, so we stood by her side strongly. Honestly, we were able to give her a little bit of comfort through the result of the game. Our main target is to give a good result to the people of our country, and considering the pain Sheuli was going through, we were actually able to console her a bit with that result.

Daily Sun: In comparison with the last couple of years, we are not witnessing the Bangladesh side of the recent past. Do you think the team actually needs to do better?

Maria: To be honest I think as players, we always want to improve and get better. The desire to play better than the previous matches is always there for players. So, our mindset is also like that, we want to do better, and we will do better.

Daily Sun: Is there self-belief within the team that they can achieve the three-peat?

Maria: Of course, there is belief among us. Since it is the final match, if we play giving our absolute best, a positive result will certainly come out of it. So, our target is to try and give our ultimate best.