Dooley ‘happy with the result’ against San Marino but sees room for improvement

Thomas Dooley could hardly have asked for a better start to life as Bangladesh coach.

A historic 2-1 victory over San Marino on Friday not only secured Bangladesh's first-ever win against European opposition but also delivered an encouraging glimpse of the style of football the German-American coach hopes to instill in the national team.

Yet while the result offered plenty to celebrate and left Dooley satisfied, the coach also stressed that the performance also exposed several shortcomings that Bangladesh must address if they are to continue progressing.

"I am obviously extremely happy with the match result," Dooley said after the game.

"Over the past week, we thoroughly analysed San Marino's recent matches from the last few years. As I mentioned in the press conference two days ago, because they regularly play against incredibly strong teams like Germany, Italy, or others while competing in Europe, their true quality isn't always reflected in their results."

Bangladesh arrived in San Marino knowing they would face a physically imposing opponent accustomed to competing against some of Europe's strongest nations. According to Dooley, that made preparation particularly important.

"I noticed that their performances and results against teams ranked 22nd, 42nd, 37th, 76th, and 120th in the world were quite good. So, I was a bit apprehensive about this," he said.

"Naturally, we watched several of their matches and realised they are a physically very strong team. They play well in the air, and their body contact (physicality) is excellent.

"As an Asian team, we naturally face a bit of a disadvantage here, but our speed is slightly better than theirs. We were primarily relying on playing passing football, utilising open spaces on the pitch, and converting chances into goals whenever possible."

Bangladesh's approach was evident throughout the game. Rather than sitting deep and relying solely on defensive organisation, the visitors attempted to move the ball quickly and attack spaces whenever opportunities arose. Topu Barman's brace ultimately proved decisive, with the veteran defender scoring once in each half to seal the victory.

However, Dooley believes the scoreline could have been more comfortable had Bangladesh been more efficient in possession and in front of goal.

"Our main weakness is that we still need a lot of chances just to score a goal," he said.

The coach pointed to a number of technical issues that repeatedly disrupted Bangladesh's rhythm, particularly when building attacks from the back.

"Sometimes, our first touch isn't right. That's why I have started practicing very basic and fundamental things with the team -- like perfecting passing and receiving.

"While moving the ball up from the back, we lost some easy balls, which is completely unacceptable on a football pitch. I warned the players about this from the very beginning."

Dooley, however, insisted the problems he observed are not deeply rooted and can be corrected through repetition and a shift in mentality.

"These are easily fixable," he said.

"This is something we must keep in mind. We need to change our mindset, then change our training patterns, and finally, change our style of play. And this is entirely possible."