Abahani Limited will have to turn the sorrow into strength when they will play AFC Cup match against Maldives Eagle Club on Wednesday just after the day of observing the death anniversary of it’s founder Sheikh Kamal on Tuesday, August 15. Abahani Limited, one of the most successful teams in the Bangladesh domestic football will face off the test of Eagle Club at the Sylhet Stadium today at 3:15pm.
Meanwhile, till now, before today’s match, Aabahani have all winning records against club teams of Maldives, they played three times in previous occasions in the AFC tournaments.
First time in 1985 Abahani played with Valencia in the Asian Club tournament and just demolished by 8-0 and in 2019 in the Asian Cup Winners Cup they played against the Old Vendecktines won the home match in Dhaka by 5-0 and away in Male by 3-0.
This time also Abahani eyeing to carry on their winning run against the Maldives teams.
Sataiyajit Das Rupu, the long time server of Abahani as a player and as a manager when talking to the Bangladesh Post from Sylhet overphone, told that they expecting to win the match as he thinks, it is prestige for the country and for Abahani club as well. “Yesterday (Monday) it was 15 August, the National Mourning Day when the founder of club Sheikh Kamal along with the Father of National Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of the members of his family were assassinated. So we will try to turn the sorrow into strength.”
“We will go for win the match, we are representing the country, so it is prestigious for the country and for us well.” About their preparation, Rupu said, “Today (Tuesday) is last practice session but the ground is very heavy due to continuous rain. Don’t know what will happen tomorrow but our players are experienced playing in the rainy weather. But Maldives sides habituated playing on turf pitch.”
“We have a couple of player, Jonathon an attacking midfielder and Millad Sheikh a defender from Iran joined recently in the team, they also have already adjust with the team,” Rupu replied to a query.
“They have six foreign booters and we have five, in this respect they an advantage, but might be condition and home ground is are our advantage.”
“Will fight for the the country and expecting to win the match, rest of defends how the players reflect on the ground.” The history of the Sky-Blue playing in the AFC Club Cup tournament is a long 38 years when they first played the AFC Club competition in 1985 and then they played so many matches in that level.
