Bangladesh Sweep Past Sri Lanka to Secure Group A Title and Reach SAFF Semifinals
Shamit Shome gave Bangladesh an early lead, while Hamza Choudhury marked his first match as captain with a goal. Farhan Ali Wahed scored a stunning solo effort after dribbling past three players, and Rakib Hossain added another spectacular goal. Bangladesh produced a dominant performance to thrash Sri Lanka and qualify for the semifinals of the SAFF Championship as Group A winners.
The hosts secured a 4-0 victory in their Group A match at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. Bangladesh will face Group B runners-up Pakistan in the semifinals on Saturday. In the other semifinal, India will take on Bhutan on the same day.
India secured the top spot in Group B by defeating the Maldives 1-0 on Wednesday. Bangladesh dominated almost the entire match. In the eighth minute, Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera failed to clear Mr. Hamza’s cross. The ball deflected off a defender and fell to Shamit Shome. His first attempt was blocked by a defender, but he made no mistake with the rebound to put Bangladesh ahead.
In the 43rd minute, Mr. Hamza doubled the lead with a powerful shot from Mr. Ibrahim’s pass. It was his fifth goal for the national team. Bangladesh went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead. Eight minutes into the second half, Mr. Farhan scored a brilliant goal. Receiving the ball just outside the penalty area, he moved into the box from the left, dribbled past three defenders and finished confidently. The Sri Lankan players could only watch as he made his way through their defence. Even Mr. Hamza, who was standing nearby, appeared amazed by the goal.
In the 76th minute, Saad Uddin left the field on a stretcher after suffering an ankle injury. Mr. Rakib, who had been impressive from the start, sealed the victory with another eye-catching goal late in the match. Collecting the ball well outside the penalty area, he outpaced a defender before chipping it over the advancing goalkeeper and into the net.
Bangladesh made three changes to their starting lineup for the match. Mr. Hamza captained the national team for the first time, while Mr. Farhan made his first start on home soil and delivered an impressive performance. Neither Mr. Hamza nor Mr. Farhan played in Bangladesh’s opening match against Bhutan. They returned to the starting lineup in place of regular captain Jamal Bhuiyan and Faisal Ahmed Fahim.
The third change saw Mohammad Ibrahim replace Bishwanath Ghosh. Mr. Ibrahim had scored the winning goal as a substitute in Bangladesh’s 1-0 victory over Bhutan. Bangladesh had already secured a semifinal place with their opening-match victory. Their win over Sri Lanka confirmed their position as Group A champions.
