Bangladesh U-20 football team took a step closer to securing a final berth in the Saff U-20 Championship after thumping Maldives 4-1 to pick up their third consecutive win in the regional age-level competition at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar Friday.
The young booters in red and green earlier got off to a winning start in the fourth edition of the championship after edging past Sri Lanka 1-0 before beating holders India 2-1 thanks to a brace from Piash Ahmed Nova.
But it was forward Mirajul Islam, the solitary scorer against the Lankans, who stole the limelight with a first half hat-trick as Bangladesh romped to a 4-0 lead before the break.
Mirajul was in the thick of things as he also provided the assist for the other goal scored by Rafiqul Islam.
Bangladesh, who have maximum nine points from three matches, can guarantee their final place with a draw against two-time winners Nepal this Tuesday.
Bangladesh can qualify for the grand finale before that if India and Nepal share points this Sunday.
