Bangladesh’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign has been no fairy tale. Hamza Choudhury’s arrival lit a wildfire of hope—fans chanting for World Cup miracles, envisioning a phoenix rising overnight.

Football doesn’t work that way. Change is a grind, not a gift. 

Four matches in—two draws, two losses—the results sting, but beneath the surface, a quiet rebellion brews, marked by spirit and strategy unseen in past years.

Possession is the new pulse for Hamza and Co. Pre-Hamza, Bangladesh chased shadows, crumbling after early concessions: 4-0 to Lebanon, 7-0 and 2-0 to Australia, 5-0 to Palestine in World Cup Qualifiers. 

Now, with Hamza, Shamit Shome, Fahmedul Islam, and Zayyan Ahmed, the tide shifts. Every qualifier game saw Bangladesh dominate the ball, threading patient build-ups, risking nervy back passes. 

Against India, ranked 50 places higher, they dictated play away, outchancing the hosts for a draw that felt like victory. Singapore? Same story—possession tilted, chances missed, fight undeniable. 

And they almost shushed a whole 50 thousand home Hong Kong, China crowd on Tuesday after Rakib’s goal. They couldn’t bag the late winner, but they made the home fans breathe for their lives.

Hamza’s midfield mastery has upped positional play, but a glaring hole remains: no true number nine. Without a proper striker, this possession game lacks the killer edge. The BFF must act fast.

Resilience writes the next chapter. Once, early goals buried Bangladesh; fans sighed, players folded. Now, they claw back. 

Against Singapore at home, down 2-0, Rakib Hossain’s strike, fed by Hamza, sparked life. Tariq Kazi’s header hit the crossbar, a penalty for Fahim ignored—unlucky, but unbowed. Against Hong Kong, China, October 9 saw 1-3 despair, fans fleeing. Yet Shekh Morsalin, via Fahmedul, and Shamit, from Morsalin’s cross, equalised—only for a late goal to steal the win and break everyone’s heart. 

On Tuesday, trailing by a penalty, Bangladesh owned the final half-hour, outplaying Hong Kong, China. Shamit drew a red card, Rakib scored off Fahamedul’s assist, securing a deserved draw. 

These aren’t just moments; they’re proof of a team learning to bend, not break.

Results lag, and the domestic system creaks, but this is no dead end. 

Robert Frost’s words echo: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep.”

Bangladesh’s woods are the qualifiers’ trials—lovely in potential, dark in defeats, deep in effort needed. But, promises? To fans, to themselves: hone this possession, find that striker, harness the fight. 

Hype outran reality, but the gains are real—grit, control, defiance. This isn’t the summit; it’s the climb’s start. 

With miles to go, Bangladesh’s hope burns: not as overnight giants, but as relentless contenders carving their path, one hard-fought draw, or maybe a win here and there, at a time.