Bangladesh were deprived of full three points after conceding a last gasp penalty in their opening match against the Himalayan Kingdom on Monday. But they can still confirm a place in the last four provided that they win today's game against the spirited Afghans, who held mighty India to a goalless draw in one of the three opening day's matches of the 10th SA Games.

Cruciani, the Argentine coach, however thinks it would be a difficult task if the under-23 players reproduce the lacks they had shown against Nepal in a 1-1 draw.

"Afghanistan played better than India. India usually plays good football but their inexperienced side was no match for the Afghans yesterday," Cruciani told reporters at the Trans Asia Hotel lobby.

"They have a dangerous and powerful striker in number 11 (Hafizullah) and both the wing midfielders use the flanks effectively during attacks. The right fullback (Saleem) and midfielder Reza are the men to mark. I've seen them play tidy and organised football against India," said the 43-year-old who watched the Indo-Afghan game.

"They are not fast like Nepal. The way Nepal played full 90 minutes was a surprise to me because we are better than them. They lost 4-0 to the Thailand under-20 team in Bangkok in a preparation match. We almost drew with the same team," he said referring to Bangladesh's 1-0 loss to the Thai youths during a warm-up match on way to Colombo.

"Against the Thais, our team showed better finishing but they were physically below par against Nepal. It was a very bad performance. I am not satisfied with the food here because the menu is for tourists, not for sports persons. Too many items are on the offer at the buffet and the players are taking too much food. I alone cannot control them. I need help from the management to restrict them from eating as much as they can."

Cruciani was so annoyed that he hardly touched dinner Monday night, skipped breakfast yesterday, and refrained from talking with his boys. But his mood improved before the afternoon training session.

"I have had a talk with the captain and vice-captain. I will talk with the group in the field. During the last half an hour, their had been no link between the attack and defence. The midfield and players upfront were not backing up the defenders, allowing Nepal to go on the offensive. I can't accept this. I want more sacrifice from everybody.

"Some players don't understand me or forget my instructions. We need the spirit and mentality to fight. If we repeat the same performance against Thailand, we can beat Afghanistan. But playing like yesterday, we can forget about winning this tournament," the coach warned.

He also criticised the refereeing. "Not only the penalty was controversial but the referee also ignored his assistants' signal when we should have won freekicks. Our liaison officer Pakir Ali told me that this Sri Lankan referee loves draws. I have seen so many decisions going against us in recent times that I am really getting frustrated," he added.

Captin Feroz Mahmud Titu also admitted that they were not at their best.

"We were 60 to 70 per cent fit. We did individual running but there was lack of coordination. Players did not back up the others, creating gaps in the middle which put pressure on the defence in the last part of the game. We are hoping to recover from this tomorrow," said the fullback.

Afghanistan's Chief de Mission Habibullah Niaji, who watched Bangladesh's match against Nepal, said he was confident his side could win.

"We did not have any target when we came here but the way we played against India, we think we will go far. I don't think Bangladesh are stronger opponents than India.

Coach Yusuf Kargal said he would rely on key players Bashir, Reza and Maharoof to deliver the goods against Bangladesh.