Two second-half goals rescued Bangladesh from their struggle to find the net as the junior Bengal Tigers kicked off their AFC Under-19 Championship qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Despite thoroughly dominating possession, the home side struggled to break the deadlock in the first half against a side that seemed to be vulnerable in defence and lacked creativity in attack.
Juvenile Rahmatganj forward Mannaf Rabby turned out to be the rescuer as he gave his side the lead after more than an hour of Bangladesh dominance. Later, skipper Masuk Miah Jony’s late penalty salvaged all three points for the home side.
U-16 star Saad Uddin started the game ahead of Sarwar Zaman Nipu in the right wing while Jahangir Alam Sajeeb partnered Tutul Hossain Badshah at the centre of defence.
The attacking combination of Mohammed Ibrahim, Saad and Rohit Sarkar along with Mannaf as the lone striker threatened the opponents’ defence right from the beginning. The hosts’ best chance came in the 20th minute of the game when three consecutive shots on target were parried away to safety by Sri Lanka goalkeeper Rishad Mohammed Rasik.
Four minutes into the second half, the Sri Lankan custodian produced yet another brave save to frustrate the home supporters. A low Saad cross from the right wing fell kindly inside the middle of the box and Rohit’s powerful volley was all set to crash the back of the net before Rishad interrupted.
The situation changed a little bit after the inclusion of Nipu at the hour-mark. Bangladesh looked more threatening and Mannaf duly gave the home side the much-deserved lead in the 67th minute. Rohit received an Ibrahim free-kick inside the box but his shot was blocked by a defender. Mannaf was present there to send the rebound home into the far post.
Captain and midfielder Masuk doubled the lead from the spot in the 83rd minute. Ibrahim earned the hosts a penalty as his shot caused midfielder Danushka to concede a handball inside the box.
Bangladesh and Uzbekistan now have three points each after the first round of matches. The junior Bengal Tigers will face Bhutan in their second game at the same venue tomorrow evening before taking on Uzbekistan this Tuesday.
Bangladesh squad: Anisur; Badshah, Sajeeb, Emon, Bishwanath; Masuk, Bappy, Rohit, Ibrahim, Saad; Mannaf.
