U-18s shoot to final with 4-0 win
Bangladesh stormed into the final of the SAFF U-18 Championship with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Bhutan in the first semifinal at Armed Police Force ground in Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday.
The boys in red and green will play tomorrow’s final against India, who thrashed Maldives by an identical 4-0 margin in the second semifinal.
Last edition’s runners-up Bangladesh put in a commanding performance against their Bhutanese counterparts, who have never beaten Bangladesh at age-group level, although the Himalayan nation did impress through crisp passing and quick movement in the attacking third on their path to the semifinals.
With Bhutan’s playing style in mind, coach Andrew Peter Turner deployed a counter-attacking strategy, keeping the backline solid on the heavy pitch. The game plan worked well in the first half as the result was virtually beyond doubt when the boys in red and green netted thrice in the first 32 minutes.
Defender Tanbir Hossain gave Bangladesh the lead in the 16th minute by heading a long throw-in home from inside the danger zone. The lead was doubled in the 27th minute when Faisal Ahmed Fahim, availing a Fahim Morshed forward pass, darted into the box to drive a low left-footer to the near post past goalkeeper Tenzin Dorji.
Maraz Hossain made it 3-0 with a solo effort as the midfielder, capitalising on a fumble by a Bhutanese player in the centre area, ran through the midfield to unleash a powerful left-footer from 25 yards into the back of the Bhutanese net.
Bhutan tried to come back in the second half but were not able to break the Bangladesh backline as they completed their third straight match with a clean sheet. Substitute Dipok Roy then put the cherry on top with a left-footer from outside the danger zone in stoppage time.
“The boys played well and finished well, though Bhutan were a very good side. We were disciplined, we were great in attack and counter-attack and scored four great goals. We are now looking forward to the final, which could be a very tough game,” said Turner after the match.
“We knew Bhutan play with small passes and with good combinations and the coach made a proper game plan to make it to the final on a wet ground. The plan was to go on counter-attack when they came forward with crisp passing and the boys executed the plan well and scored three goals in the first half,” said manager Amer Khan.
“We followed the instructions of the coach and implemented the game plan well. The backline played really well and kept the sheet clean for the third consecutive match. We are now hoping to repeat this performance in the final to win the championship,” said captain Yeasin Arafat.
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