Bangladesh boys bagged their first win in the AFC U-16 Championship 2020 qualifiers after a vibrant second-half display saw them outplay Bhutan 3-0 in their second Group E encounter at the Aspire Dome indoor stadium in Doha Friday.
Saiful Islam Saeed and Moinul Islam Moin netted a goal apiece in the either side of each half while there was also an own goal in between the two goals as Bangladesh salvaged all three points comfortably after kicking off the campaign with a 2-0 defeat against host Qatar Wednesday.
Bangladesh dominated possession but looked disorganized during the attacks in the opening half where they missed a couple of chances.
Saeed’s glancing header missed the target by an inch in the 20th minute before Emon Islam’s shot from 20 yards flew inches over the bar in the 41st minute.
Saeed finally broke the deadlock in the added time of the first half, heading home a cross from the right flank.
Bangladesh boys put up a brave display, despite two second-half goals saw them begin their @theafcdotcom U-16 Championship 2020 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat against host Qatar at the Aspire Dome indoor stadium in Doha Wednesday.https://t.co/RxRXtHGHJY#BFF #AFC #QATAR
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) September 18, 2019
Bhutan defender Kelzang Jigme scored an own goal to double Bangladesh’s lead five minutes into the second half after his teammate’s clearance rebounded off him before rolling inside the net.
Moin made it 3-0 a minute later after collecting a long cross and skipping past the onrushing keeper before placing into the empty net.
Bangladesh could have extended the lead in the 58th minute when Sajed Hasan Nijum's powerful left-footed strike from 30 yards hit the sidepost.
Bangladesh will conclude their group fixtures against Yemen Sunday.
The top finishers from 11 groups and five best runners-up sides will qualify for the final round, which will be held in Bahrain next year.