Bangladesh have once again booked their place in the final of the SAFF U-20 tournament. The Bangladesh boys defeated Nepal 1-0 in the first semi-final of the tournament.
Manik scored the only winning goal for Bangladesh at the Male Stadium in the Maldives on Wednesday.
Bangladesh started the semi-final well. They didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes to score. Manik headed in from Morshed's chip.
In the next minute, Bangladesh again sent the ball into Nepal's net. American expatriate Ronan Sullivan, who controlled the ball with great skill, beat the goalkeeper and sent the ball into the net. When he received the ball, he was ahead of the Nepal defender. The assistant referee raised the offside flag. This was widely protested from the Bangladesh dugout. Bangladesh returned to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead.
Nepal put Bangladesh under considerable pressure for the first 20-30 minutes of the second half. Despite several attempts on goal, Bangladesh goalkeeper Mahin made good saves.
Both teams were desperate for a goal in the 6th minute of injury time. With no more goals, Bangladesh left the field with a 1-0 victory. Bangladeshi expatriates cheered at the Male Stadium as the team of Ronan and Morshed reached the final.
Bangladesh became the undefeated champion of this SAFF tournament in 2024. The red-green team is in the title race again after defeating Nepal. Bangladesh's final opponent will be decided tonight after the match between India and Bhutan.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
