Bangladesh advanced to the final of the SAFF U-17 Championship after a commanding 2-0 victory over Pakistan in the first semifinal held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday.
The young Bangladeshi side scored twice in the opening minutes of the match, with goals from captain Nazmul Huda Faisal and forward Apu Rahman, securing their place in the championship decider.
Bangladesh struck early when Faisal put his side ahead in the third minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse from Pakistan’s goalkeeper Samar Razzak. Apu Rahman picked up a loose ball near the box and set up Faisal, who slotted the ball into the net.
Just a minute later, Apu doubled the lead with a curling left-footed shot from the right flank, threading between two defenders before lifting the ball over the Pakistani goalkeeper.
Pakistan responded with a series of attacks. In the 10th minute, Mohammad Abdullah came close from a corner, heading the ball just wide of the post. Both sides had goals disallowed for offside later in the half, but Bangladesh maintained their 2-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, Bangladesh continued pressing forward. Rifat Kazi, who scored a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in the previous match, forced a save from Razzak in the 49th minute, while Faisal narrowly missed the target four minutes later.
Pakistan pushed hard to get back into the game, but the Bangladeshi defence held firm. Substitute Akash Ahmed fired off target in the 80th minute, and Mohammad Wais came close for Pakistan moments later.
With the victory, Golam Rabbani Choton’s team booked their place in the final, where they will face the winner of the other semifinal between India and Nepal.
