Bangladesh edged closer to retaining the SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship title after beating Sri Lanka 5-0 once again at the Bashundhara Kings practice ground Saturday.
Puja Das netted a brace, while Kanon Rani Bahadur, Trishna Rani, and Afeida Khandaker scored one goal each for the home side.
It was Bangladesh’s fifth consecutive victory in as many matches.
Earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh had thrashed Sri Lanka 9-1 in their opening match.
With the tournament following a four-team round-robin format, the top finisher will be crowned champions.
Bangladesh now require just a point against Nepal in their final match to secure the trophy.
Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler continued to rotate his starting XI, fielding a slightly unusual line-up once again.
Kanon Rani opened the scoring with a left-footed strike from the top of the box in the 25th minute.
Puja doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, slotting home a rebound after Trishna’s initial effort hit the sidebar.
Puja extended the lead after the break with a superb long-range effort.
Trishna got on the scoresheet with a fine finish five minutes before the end of regulation time.
Afeida converted a penalty in stoppage time to complete the rout.
In the day’s other match, Purnima Rai’s hat-trick helped Nepal thrash Bhutan 8-0 at the same venue.
Bangladesh sit at the top of the table with a maximum 15 points, while Nepal are second with 12 points.
The final fixture between Bangladesh and Nepal Monday will decide the tournament champions.