Bhutan coach wants Bangladesh to beat Sri Lanka by two goals

Bhutan drew with Sri Lanka in their second match of the SAFF Championship. With one point from two matches, they are still in the race for the semi-finals.

With Bhutan's two group matches over, they are now looking towards Bangladesh's match. Bhutan coach Gary Phillips has become one of the biggest supporters of Bangladesh in the match against Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the press conference after the match against Sri Lanka, he said, 'Firstly, I was very worried, because Sri Lanka had 16 foreign players, so I knew they were a good team. I was a bit nervous before the game, but I am extremely happy with the result and the overall outcome.'

He said he was very proud because the team showed its mentality and determination by coming back after falling 2-1 behind against Bangladesh just two days earlier.

At the press conference, Gary was asked what kind of result he wanted from Bangladesh. He replied, 'One hundred percent.' 'We need Bangladesh to win by two or more goals. So we hope Bangladesh stay fresh; after this match Sri Lanka may be a bit weaker, we don't know. We just have to wait and see.'

'But clearly, I hope Bangladesh will field their strongest team. After all, they have to win to go to the next round. Let's see what happens. Football is a funny game, anything can happen. I don't think Sri Lanka were at their best, but that was the result of our play. Of course we hope Bangladesh win well and take us to the next round,' said Gary.

Speaking about the missed penalty, he said, 'I mean, missing the penalty was a very big thing, and many lesser players would have broken down mentally. But keeping in mind Chhetri's professionalism and his quality, I knew he would always stay in the match and want to make up for that penalty mistake. So scoring the goal late in the match was a great reward for him and for the team.'

'Because I think we worked very hard and we probably deserved it too. Yes, they had some chances, but no very clear chances. So I was fairly satisfied, but we were very tired; considering the overall situation, I am very happy with the result,' said the Bhutan coach.

On Wednesday at 8pm, hosts Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in the last group match at the Dhaka National Stadium. The red-and-green team won their first match against Bhutan.

In the second match of this group, Sri Lanka and Bhutan drew 2-2, and with the points advantage, Hamza and Jamal have confirmed their place in the semi-finals.