Jamal wary of Pakistan, says they are better than Sri Lanka

Bangladesh have recorded a big win and celebrated four goals, but captain Jamal Bhuiyan is not ready to get carried away. A tougher test awaits them.

After beating Sri Lanka 4-0 to finish as group champions and reach the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship, the Bangladesh captain has turned his attention to Pakistan.

Jamal believes Pakistan are a better team than Sri Lanka and has urged his teammates to remain cautious. Speaking to reporters before training at the Kings Arena on Thursday morning, the midfielder said, “I think Pakistan are a better team than Sri Lanka. So our focus is now on the Pakistan match.”

Bangladesh scored four goals against Sri Lanka and also kept a clean sheet. The captain was pleased with the team's performance.

“We scored four goals, which is certainly a positive. We also finished the match without conceding a goal again. Overall, everyone is satisfied and happy,” Jamal said.

Bangladesh also have the upper hand in their head-to-head record against Pakistan. Of the 17 meetings between the two sides, Bangladesh have won seven, Pakistan five, while the remaining five ended in draws.

Pakistan, however, have never won the SAFF Championship. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have one title, which they claimed on home soil in 2003. The hosts are now hoping to lift the trophy at home again after 23 years.

Jamal stressed the importance of keeping the entire squad fit and ready ahead of the Pakistan match. With little time between fixtures, he believes every player will be needed.

“We need the entire squad. We played yesterday, and we have another match just two days later. So it is important to keep everyone ready,” he said.

Defender Saad Uddin has already been ruled out of the SAFF Championship because of an injury. The captain also underlined the need for a replacement.

“Saad has picked up an injury. We definitely need someone to replace him. You saw that Hridoy also played as a centre-back. So we need the entire squad,” Jamal said.

Jamal was also impressed by Farhan Ali's spectacular goal against Sri Lanka. However, he does not want the youngster to be compared with other stars. He wants Farhan to establish his own identity.

“I want Farhan to be known by his own name. That was Farhan Ali''s goal, nobody else's,” Jamal said.

The captain was equally impressed by the performance and leadership of another star, Hamza Choudhury. Jamal considers Hamza the best player in the Bangladesh team.

“Hamza is the best player in the team. I am really happy for him,” he said.

The two semi-finals of the SAFF Championship will be held on 14 November. India will face Bhutan in the first semi-final at 3pm, before Bangladesh take on Pakistan at 8:30pm.