Isa Town: Bangladesh U23 national team beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in their third and final Group B match to end the AFC U23 Championship 2020 qualifiers campaign on a high.
Jamie’s men went into the match determined to pick up a victory to reward themselves for all the hard work they put in in the first two games.
The Red and Greens made their intentions clear right from the kick-off and started to bombard the Lankan defence with attack after attack.
Reward came just five minutes into the match when midfielder Biplo Ahmed cut inside from the left flank and after beating a couple of defenders with delightful footwork, the Bangladesh number 8 sent the ball into the net with a precise right footed placing shot.
Bangladesh players continued their attack and the Red and Greens went 2-0 ahead just 13 minutes later.
Defender Tutul Hossen Badsha produced a mesmerizing back-flip in the 18th minute to double Bangladesh’s lead.
Conceding two goals inside 18 minutes, the islanders began play defensive and tried to keep the Bangladesh attackers at bay.
Therefore, after the second goal, the match became a tale of Bangladesh attack and Sri Lanka defence which did not change much in the second half either.
Better finishing could have extended Bangladesh’s margin of victory even more but it was not to be so.
The Red and Greens left the field with on the final whistle with a victory and a clean sheet.
Even though Bangladesh did not qualify for the finals, their performance in the tournament speaks volumes about their ability to play against the big guns as manifested in the first two matches against Bahrain and Palestine. The victory just tops off a great tournament played by the U23 boys.
Jamie’s men will now return to Bangladesh with having renewed the fans’ hope for the future of Bangladesh football.
