Bhutan's Dragon's Boys clash with Giant Dragon, China in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

The National Football Team is fully prepared to face the giant dragon, China, at Helong Stadium in Changsha, at 5:30 PM local time. This is the second match for the two teams for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. China had won the first game, 6-0 at the Changlimithang stadium, in Thimphu. The team reached China, yesterday.

Our reporter, Yeshey Gyeltshen, who is following the Dragon Boys, says the squad of 23 players is working hard, right from the crack of the dawn.

The team will not need acclimatization as the weather in Changsha is quite similar to that of Thimphu, says our reporter.

The challenge, however, will be from the opposition team, who will not only have the home ground advantage, but having lost their previous match to Qatar, will not want the same results.

But, the Bhutanese players say they are ready.

The team will be led to the ground by striker, Chencho Gyeltshen. Chencho says he wishes to score in every single match, this one included.

“It’s a big responsibility having people expecting and relying on me to score. And it’s my job, as a striker, to score goals.”

The bigger boost for the team has come in the form of the head coach. Players say having a Bhutanese head coach has boosted the team’s morale.

“With the change of coach, I believe the attitude of the team has changed. It has made easier for us to discuss our views with the coach and plan accordingly for the next game,” said Midfielder, Karun Gurung.

The team’s new head coach, Pema admits tomorrow’s match will be a tough one, but says the results cannot be predicted.

“They have new players in the team. But we are ready, tactically, technically, and physically,” he said.

Source: BBS

Read More

China Vs Bhutan on November 12, 2015

A local head coach will lead the Bhutanese squad on November 12 for the game against China at the He Long Stadium in Changsha, Hunan province.

Although Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) has not decided on who should be leading the team, both Chokey Nima and Pema are on the top of the list for the role of the head coach.

There are unofficial reports linking the former Pune FC coach, Karim Bencherifa to be the new coach of Bhutan. However, BFF officials said nothing is confirmed on hiring  new coach.

Chokey Nima, the man who delivered the nation’s first historic win against Sri Lanka in the first round of the World Cup qualifier, may once again head the team against China. The technical director with the federation is currently heading the under-19 national team.

Another option is Pema, the interim head coach who took over the team after the premature departure of the Japanese coach. Pema who gave a new hope to the team during the game against Hong Kong on Tuesday might as well be likely option for the federation.

After the performance of the squad under him that stunned the Hongkongers on the home ground, Pema might once again lead the team in China. He had been serving as the assistant coach during the whole qualification rounds.

Meanwhile, as a gesture of appreciation BFF has announced that each member of the squad would be given a sum of Nu 25,000 each on the “brilliant performance” delivered by the players against Hong Kong. The news was first broken on the federations’ Facebook page after the match.

The team also received a cake from Their Majesties on the eve of Their Majesties’ fourth wedding anniversary on Tuesday.

Source: Kuenselonline

Read More

Bhutan Lost to Hong Kong 0-1 in home ground Changlimethang

Hong Kong Celebrate the Goal

Bhutan was three minutes short of securing its first point in the World Cup qualifiers in their fifth game against Hong Kong at the Changlimithang stadium yesterday.

If the thin air made it difficult for the Hongkongers, the rain that lashed for almost an hour made it difficult for the visitors to suppress the Dragon Boys like they did in the first leg in June. The physically taller and stronger players could not outpace the Bhutanese at home for much part of the game.

Led by a new head coach and skipper, Bhutan played a defensive game for the first 15 minutes.

The match saw equal opportunities created by both the teams to break the deadlock with both sides gaining equal possession of the game.

The strike-duo of Godfred Karikari and James Mckee, who terrorised the Bhutanese defence in June, created some trouble for goalie Hari Gurung in the beginning but Hari was equal to the challenge making some remarkable saves.

However, in the 89th minute, striker Chan Sui Ki’s header from defender Cheung Kin Fung’s corner kick finally broke the stiff Bhutanese resilience and broke the heart of the fans who braved the cold and the rain to cheer their team. Hari has come out to punch the ball to safety, but was too short for Sui Ki who left the keeper punching the cold air.

Bhutan’s interim head coach Pema said that the strategy was to defend for the first 15 minutes and then go on full attack, taking the advantage of the altitude.  “We gave our best today. We wanted to win and dedicate it to Their Majesties on their fourth Royal wedding anniversary,” he said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t win but we gave our best till the end.”

Skipper Karun Gurung said that they adopted “zonal marking”, a defensive strategy where defenders cover an area of the pitch rather than marking a specific opponent. “This strategy worked perfectly until the 89th minute,” he said. “We played typical Bhutanese game, we’ll get back stronger for the next remaining games.”

Hong Kong’s head coach Kim Pan-Gon said that the rain and the high altitude was the main factor that prevented his team from scoring more goals.

“We lost several goal scoring opportunities because of the rain and the cold and small mistakes from our players,” the South Korean coach said. “But we overcame this difficulty and we’re going with three important points.”

The head coach credited the Bhutanese team for their “excellent performance.” He said Bhutan has improved a lot and he admired the attitude and passion of the players. “With more practise, the team will just get better,” he said.

Hong Kong retains its second position in Group C with the 10 points while Bhutan is rooted at the bottom without a point.

Source: Kuenselonline

Read More

Bhutan beated by Maldives 4-3 in World Cup Qualifiers

Tshering Dorji, in the 83rd minute took advantage of a chaos inside the penalty box. A thumping shot into an empty post opened the score sheet for the Dragon boys. The suit followed after three minutes when Chencho Gyeltshen, running past the Maldivian defenders, sent a low attempt to the back of the net. The third goal was scored by Biren Basnet when Chencho’s attempt rebounded after hitting the woodwork.

Despite Bhutan’s impressive performance and ending the team’s goal drought, Bhutan could not end its losing streak in the world cup qualifier.

The Maldives emerged triumphant over Bhutan by 4 goals to 3.

Bhutan conceded early goal as usual. The Maldives scored the first goal in 11 minutes. They further stretched their lead in 23rd and 33rd minutes without any reply from the Bhutanese side in the first half.

A goal converted from penalty in the second half by the Maldives seemed to have extinguished Bhutan’s hope for comeback. But the drama unfolded towards the end of the second half as Bhutan rattled the Maldives defense and scored three goals within seven minutes.

Bhutan’s desperately tried to equalize the match in the last minute but the Maldives resisted Bhutan’s attack till the final whistle of the game.

Source: BBS

Read More

Bhutan will play against Maldives Today

Bhutan will try to break its duck against Maldives today at the Changlimethang and record the first win in the World Cup qualifiers.

Bhutan had played Maldives, commonly known as Red Snappers, but have never registered a win against the island nation. “We played against them for two to three times and lost all,” a senior Bhutanese international, Passang Tshering said. “But today should be our best opportunity because all our players in form,” he said.

The Maldivian squad arrived in the country yesterday, which was quickly followed by a practice session.

Bhutan’s head coach Norio Tsukitate, in a pre-match press conference yesterday said his players are improving day by day. “The advantage of having young players on the team is that they are constantly evolving with each match,” he said.

Maldives’ new head coach, Ricki Herbert, who took the New Zealand national team into the 2010 World Cup, is expecting an exciting match since both teams placed are at the bottom of the group.

“We’re still in the process of knowing each other. We had our first practise session on Tuesday in Kolkata,” he said. “We’re determined and remain positive about the game despite the short time we spent together.”

“It’s an international game, we expect it to be exciting not only for the players but also to the fans watching,” he said.

Ricki Herbert said his team has developed respect for team Bhutan who is growing in the international front.

Source: Kuenselonline

Read More

Dejected Cahill credits Suarez

In the past, the English media have debated whether players representing their country cared as much as they do for their clubs. Their argument was strengthened when in 2008, the following quote appeared in Jamie Carragher’s autobiography:

“Defeats wearing an England shirt never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club. I wasn't caring or indifferent, I simply didn't put England's fortunes at the top of my priority list. Losing felt like a disappointment rather than a calamity. I was never in love with playing for England in the first place.”

Those who saw England’s players walk out of the Arena de Sao Paulo would say that the class of 2014 feel very different to Carragher. The frustrations and disappointment were all too evident, etched on the faces of every member of the 23-man squad and coaching staff, particularly those who had participated in the 2-1 defeat to Uruguay.

One such player was Gary Cahill, England's No5. The 28-year-old, who was playing Sunday League football until the age of 15, has had experience of dealing with painful defeats in the past, but told FIFA.com that his emotions upon leaving the stadium were particularly gut-wrenching.

“It’s one of the worst feelings I’ve had in my career,” he said. “But the only satisfaction we can give ourselves is that we gave 110 per cent, everything we had, in terms of our preparation and our training. But sometimes it’s just not quite good enough. Sometimes football is cruel.

“Again we played well – we gave a good account of ourselves – but we lost the game and got nothing from it. I’ve certainly been involved in games as a player where personally and collectively as a team, we’ve played a lot worse than that and got results. But I would rather play worse and get results, if I’m honest.”

Sporting praise for Suarez
Yet the Chelsea defender was sporting enough to credit the man who made the difference in the match, the sublime Luis Suarez, who capped his return from injury with both of Uruguay’s goals. The UEFA Champions League-winner has enjoyed many tussles with the striker from Salto in the past, but on this occasion the England man came off second-best.

“He was one of the best players in the Premier League last season and he’s a great finisher,” continued Cahill. “He took his first goal really well. I thought his second goal was very fortunate, sometimes you need that bit of luck in the game and it fell for them today.”

Reaching the Round of 16 is now out of England’s hands. They must hope that Italy get six points from their next two encounters against Costa Rica and Uruguay and that they can defeat Los Ticos in Belo Horizonte, the scene of the Three Lions’ lowest ebb at the 1950 World Cup when they failed to qualify from the group stage.

In the meantime, Cahill and the England crew will be crossing their fingers and cheering for Gli Azzurri in Recife, as an Italian win would make their preparations for their final Group D game all the more meaningful.

“At the moment, it’s so hard to take,” said Cahill. “It’s going to be four very hard days for us to swallow. On the flip side, we hope Italy perform very well in the next two games and we get a win in the last one. That’s all we can do at this moment.” 

Source: http://www.fifa.com 

Read More