Matin, Ibrahim see Bangladesh through to semis
Matin Mia scored a brace before Mohammad Ibrahim added a third as Bangladesh cruised into the semifinals of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup with a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in their last Group A fixture at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.
Matin put the hosts ahead in the 17 th minute and doubled the team's lead 19 minutes after restart as a revamped Bangladesh team, needing a win to qualify, turned on the style against their South Asian rivals. Ibrahim then tapped home the third goal in the 83rd minute, drawing the final nail on the coffin of Sri Lanka, who, like Bangladesh, came into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against defending champions Palestine.
However, Bangladesh were dealt a cruel blow one minute before the end when Tapu Barman, wearing the captain's armband in place of injured Jamal Bhuiyan, was shown a second yellow card. The veteran defender will miss the semifinal against Burundi on January 23, with the hosts already grappling with a number of injuries.
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