U-15s make flying start
Bangladesh made a dominating start to their title defence in the SAFF U-15 Championship with a 5-2 win over Bhutan at the Kalyani Stadium in Nadia, West Bengal yesterday.
The defending champions were in a spot of bother as Bhutan twice cancelled Bangladesh’s lead during a goal-spree in the first 32 minutes, but the boys in red and green regained the lead just before the break and consolidated with two more goals after the break to take home a comprehensive opening win.
The win lifted Bangladesh to second position, equal on three points but behind leaders India on goal difference. Sri Lanka and Nepal have three points each too, from two matches apiece but they have an inferior goal difference while Bhutan have yet to open their account following consecutive defeats.
Al Amin Rahman gave Bangladesh the lead in the 15th minute with a header from a throw-in but Bhutan equalised two minutes later, taking advantage of Bangladesh goalkeeper Sabbir Gazi’s hesitation. Al Mirad restored Bangladesh’s lead from a goalmouth melee four minutes later, but a dreadful mistake from the Bangladesh goalkeeper helped the Bhutan boys draw level again.
However, Bangladesh went into the break with a lead as Shuvo Sarker, three minutes after coming off the bench, scored with a volley from in front of goal in the 45th minute.
Mirad scored his second goal with a tap-in following an excellent build-up in the 80th minute before substitute Emon Babu put the icing on the cake in the fourth minute of stoppage time with a curling free-kick from the edge of the box.
The Bangladesh team’s head coach Mostafa Anwar Parvez expressed his satisfaction over the victory. “A win is always pleasing, and this was an important win in the first match. The heat was oppressive, but the players tried their best. We would have been happier had the scoreline been 5-0, but mistakes from the goalkeeper and the defence didn’t let that happen. We’ll work on these areas and will try to keep winning,” Parvez told reporters after the match.
Bangladesh’s No. 9 Al Mirad, who scored two goals, said he was happy with his performance and was looking forward to the next match.
Bangladesh’s next match is against Sri Lanka tomorrow while they will take on Nepal and India on August 27 and 29 respectively. The top two teams from the five-team round robin league will advance into August 31’s final.
