Buoyed by a commanding 5-0 victory over little-known Timor-Leste, Bangladesh are aiming to maintain their winning momentum in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers when they take on Brunei in their second Group A match at the Yongchuan Sports Centre Stadium in Chongqing, China, on Monday.
The match kicks off at 12:00pm Bangladesh time.
With hopes of reaching the final round for the first time in 19 years, Bangladesh made a sparkling start to the campaign by inflicting a heavy defeat on Timor-Leste. Substitutes Akash Ahammad and bayezid Bostami both found the net, while regular forwards Mohammad Manik and Rifaz Kazi combined for three goals before half-time.
Head coach Golam Rabbani Choton expressed satisfaction with his side's opening performance and urged his players to replicate the same intensity against Brunei.
"All opponents are good and there is no opportunity to take any side, including Brunei, lightly. We will take to the field for victory. If the boys can reproduce their first-match performance, we can hope for a win against Brunei," Choton told The Daily Star over the phone from China on Saturday.
Like Timor-Leste, Brunei are also unfamiliar foes for Bangladesh, with the two sides having not met in AFC U-17 competitions for the past 15 years. However, Choton does have the advantage of having watched Brunei's 4-0 defeat to Sri Lanka on Saturday.
"One thing I want to keep intact is our attacking and positive brand of football, which the boys demonstrated against Timor-Leste," said the experienced coach, who believes the strong internal competition within the squad is driving performances.
"After playing the SAFF U-17 Championship and the invitational tournament in China, the boys have grown in confidence, and the competition among them is a positive sign. We will prepare our game plan against Brunei Darussalam accordingly, keeping their playing style in mind," Choton added.
Defender Ikramul Islam also sounded determined to finish the tournament on a high and achieve the team's target.
"We produced a satisfactory result against Timor-Leste. We have watched two other matches involving the four teams, so we want to finish the tournament by delivering good performances. Today was a recovery session after the first match, and we have now adjusted to the cold weather in China," Ikramul said in a video message shared by the Bangladesh Football Federation.