United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh have climbed three places in the latest FIFA rankings, following a spirited draw against Nepal and a statement victory over regional rivals India. The year-ending rankings, released by FIFA within 24 hours of the close of the men’s international break, kept Spain firmly at the top. Bangladesh played two matches during the November FIFA window. Javier Cabrera’s side began with a 2–2 draw in last Thursday’s friendly against Nepal, before sealing a memorable 1–0 victory over India on Tuesday in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The results propelled Bangladesh to 180th position, a three-step rise from their previous ranking. India, by contrast, slid six places and now sit 142nd after the defeat. Spain, meanwhile, confirmed their place in next year’s World Cup with one win and one draw across two fixtures. Although they dropped a few points, the 2010 world champions remain atop the global standings. Argentina also held their ground, staying second after a 2–0 victory over Angola in their only match this month. There was no movement in the next two spots either, with France retaining third place and England anchored in fourth. Both sides enjoyed flawless campaigns in this month’s World Cup qualifiers, winning two matches each. Brazil had a mixed outing with a 2–0 win over Senegal followed by a 1–1 draw against Tunisia. The five-time world champions nonetheless climbed two places to fifth. Portugal and the Netherlands each slipped one spot, moving down to sixth and seventh respectively. Belgium remain eighth, while Germany and Croatia rose one position each to ninth and tenth. Italy endured another setback, falling three places to 12th. The four-time world champions, absent from the past two World Cups, now face renewed pressure as they look toward the playoffs to keep their 2026 hopes alive.    

Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera has taken full responsibility for his team’s heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Hong Kong China in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, but expressed optimism that the men in red and green can bounce back in the return leg and keep their campaign alive. With a stoppage-time goal from Shamit Shome’s header, Bangladesh were moments away from earning a point against a comparatively stronger Hong Kong side at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday. But Raphaël Merkies’s last-minute strike, which was a hat trick for the winger, left the home fans stunned. The result dashed Bangladesh’s realistic hopes of reaching the final round. Bangladesh’s players were devastated after the match, as was head coach Javier Cabrera. Visibly disappointed, Cabrera took full responsibility for the defeat. “I take the responsibility. The whole team take the responsibility, mainly myself. But again, now we need to focus,” Cabrera said at the post-match press conference. With just one point from three matches, Bangladesh now face an uphill battle to qualify, with three fixtures remaining, including an away match against Hong Kong. Their hopes of advancing have largely faded. Still, Cabrera is optimistic about a turnaround: “We still have options. We have another match now in Hong Kong. If we get to win, we are there again, three points away from the top of the group.” Bangladesh lose 4-3 to Hong Kong as last-minute goal dashes Asian Cup hopes The Spanish coach admitted his team’s defensive lapses proved costly, as poor man-marking left the backline vulnerable. However, he added, “Those mistakes were really unfortunate. But that weren’t related to defensive error. “We talked a lot about the offensive players of Hong Kong, and I think we have been able to manage very well for many moments. But in the end, they have good quality, and it can happen. “To me, it is more than the defensive; it's not about the defenders. It's because the situations of those goals have been with not only the defenders in the box defending. I think it's been everyone.” On a question regarding whether his starting line-up selection proved wrong, Cabrera said, “To me, the best part of the match has been the first half without any doubt. The first half is probably the best football we have played since I’m here [in Bangladesh]. So, the line-up was right. The line-up did well.” Deschamps awaits Mbappé’s fitness update ahead of World Cup qualifiers Even so, he lamented a needless mistake in stoppage time that proved too costly for Bangladesh. “That cannot happen and we have to work on these things. If we want to go to the next level, as we are almost there, these kind of mistakes cannot happen. Because, then it is very difficult for us to come back. We did it, we came back again from 3-1 down to 3-3. And again, we could have been more aggressive in that last action,” he lamented. Bangladesh is scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on Friday night to play the return leg against the hosts on October 14, with Jamal Bhuyan leading the team once again.