Excited Expat Defender Zayan Makes Bangladesh Debut

In preparation for the AFC U-23 Tournament qualifiers in Vietnam scheduled for the first week of September, Bangladesh’s U-23 team played two friendly matches in Bahrain. Yesterday, in the first match against the host U-23 side, Bangladesh narrowly lost 0–1.

The friendly between Bangladesh and Bahrain U-23 teams has been recognised as a FIFA Tier-2 international match. This match marked the international debut of two expatriate Bangladeshi players, defender Zayan Ahmed and Tanil Salik. Zayan started in the main eleven, while coach Saiful Bari Titu brought Tanil on during the second half.

Since it was a closed match, BAFUFU (Bangladesh Football Federation) did not officially release the result. However, ten hours after the match, BAFUFU’s media division shared reactions from assistant coach Hasan Al Mamun and player Mirajul Islam, along with a few photographs. Later that evening, BAFUFU posted a video of US-based Zayan Ahmed on their official Facebook page.

In the video, Zayan expressed his excitement: “We played well. There were three or four good chances. The match was almost even.”

Making his first appearance in the Bangladesh jersey, Zayan admitted to feeling thrilled. He assessed his own performance: “I’d give myself seven and a half out of ten. I made a few good assists and gave my best effort.”

Bangladesh conceded a goal from a penalty, but Zayan remained optimistic about the team’s overall performance. He analysed: “Team performance is eight out of ten. We created goal-scoring opportunities. For Vietnam, we are putting in a lot of hard work — training, video analysis, meetings. Our group is talented and strong.”

Zayan’s debut highlights the growing role of expatriate talent in Bangladesh football and reflects the team’s strong preparation ahead of the AFC U-23 qualifiers.