Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 4-0 at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday to finish top of Group A and reach the semifinals of the SAFF Championship. The hosts will play Pakistan in the last four on November 14 at 8 p.m.
Shamit Shome put Bangladesh ahead in the eighth minute. His first shot was blocked, but he scored from the rebound. Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera failed to clear a cross from Hamza Choudhury, and the ball deflected off a defender to Shamit.
Hamza doubled the lead in the 43rd minute, scoring his first goal as captain. He took a pass from Ibrahim just outside the box, beat a defender and shot past Perera. It was his fifth international goal, and all five have come at the National Stadium.
Farhan Ahmed Ali made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute with a solo effort. He dribbled past three defenders before finishing the move himself.
Rakib Hossain scored the remaining goal. He sprinted clear of a defender from well outside the box and chipped the ball over Perera. It was his first goal for the national team in nearly a year and a half.
Bangladesh controlled the match and had 10 shots, three of them on target. Sri Lanka managed only three shots, and none of them hit the target.
Saad Uddin was taken off on a stretcher with an ankle injury in the 76th minute. Rahmat Shah came on in his place. Jamal Bhuiyan also entered the game as a replacement for Kazem Shah.
The result followed Bangladesh's earlier 1-0 win over Bhutan in the group. Sri Lanka had drawn 2-2 with Bhutan in Dhaka on Sunday, November 8.
Pakistan reached the semifinals from Group B after losing 3-2 to group winners India in their opening match on November 5. India will meet Bhutan in the other semifinal at noon on November 14, the same day as Bangladesh's match. The final is scheduled for November 17.
