Bangladesh off to winning start

Bangladesh began their Saff Championship 2021 campaign on a winning note as they beat 10-man Sri Lanka 1-0 in the opening match of the tournament at Maldives National Stadium Friday.

Topu Barman scored the all-important goal from the penalty spot in the 54th minute after a Biplu Ahmed cross intended for Mohammad Ibrahim was handled inside the box by Lankan defender Duckson Puslas.

Topu stroked home the penalty calmly after Puslas received his marching orders following his second yellow card.

The men in red and green will take on archrivals India in their next match at the same venue Monday.

Spaniard Oscar Bruzon started his temporary reign as Bangladesh coach deploying 4-1-4-1 formation with in-form Uttar Baridhara striker Sumon Reza, who has eight league goals this season, stationed as the No 9.

Rakib Hossain and Abahani winger Jewel Rana, prolific in the league this season with 10 goals, played on the wings with Mohammad Ibrahim and Biplu taking their place in central midfield.

Defensive midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan shielded the back four, comprising Yasin Arafat at left back and Bishwanath Ghosh at the right, and Topu and Kazi Tariq Raihan at the center.  

The dependable Anisur Rahman Zico was in goal as he kept another clean sheet in his brief yet blooming Bangladesh career.

Bangladesh had the better chances in the first half, especially right at the stroke of the whistle when a Topu header from a Yasin cross was carried away by the Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera. 

And when the second half started, it was no more than Bangladesh had deserved when Topu scored from the spot after the Puslas handball.

Bruzon's charges could have added to their tally in the second half but missed a number of chances, and eventually made their man advantage count against the Lankans, taking home all three points in an assured display.   

Bangladesh fans arrive in droves to watch SAFF opener

Blowing their whistles and beating drums, the expatriate spectators were flocking at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives as Bangladesh geared up for their SAFF Championship campaign which took off against Sri Lanka on Friday afternoon. The match got underway from 5:00pm (Bangladesh Standard Time).

Many expatriate workers have already gotten hold of the tickets to watch the match while many other Bangladeshi expatriate spectators were waiting outside to get tickets even as the ticket counters remained closed.  The crowd also brought a procession chanting 'Bangladesh…Bangladesh' outside the stadium.

"I have already bought a ticket worth 70 Rufiya to watch the Bangladesh match against Sri Lanka as I used to watch matches of domestic league too," said Abdul Kadir, an air condition repairman, hours before the match.

"This time the Maldives federation raised the price of ticket which was once sold out at the price of 27 Rufia because they have probably sold half tickets of total capacity," said Kadir from Sylhet who has been working here for last seven years.

Aminul Islam, a construction worker, said, "I have bought a ticket after showing the vaccination card of Covid-19. I have attended matches here before."

It was seen that some expatriate spectators were eagerly waiting for ticket counters to open as they could not buy tickets beforehand.

"I could not come here to buy tickets before because I could not get leave from work. Today is weekend vacation, so I came here in a bid to get a ticket to watch the match," said a construction worker.

Mohammad Ibrahim, who also watched Bangladesh's 0-5 drubbing at the hands of Maldives in 2016, is yet to get the tickets he need. He was expecting a win over Sri Lanka whom Bangladesh last beat 3-0 in Dhaka during Bangabandhu Gold Cup in early 2020.

"Of course, I felt sorry when Bangladesh went down against Maldives and it lasted long time but it is also pleasing to watch the national footballers playing in front of the eyes and we enjoyed watching their performance," said Ibrahim.

South Asia’s World Cup began

Sports lovers across South Asia and beyond will have a feast of football to devour upon over the next sixteen days as five nations of the region renew their rivalry for regional supremacy in the Maldivian capital Male today. Dubbed by many as the World Cup of South Asia, the 13th edition of the SAFF Championship will feature seven-time champions India, hosts and defending champions Maldives, rising power Nepal, one-time champion Sri Lanka and of course Bangladesh, who hoisted the trophy 18 years ago.

Iconic players like Sunil Chhetri, Ali Ashfaq and Jamal Bhuiyan alongside up-and-coming stars such as Ahmed Wazeem Razeek, Anisur Rahman and Anirudh Thapa will have plenty of opportunity to rub shoulders against each other during this round-robin format competition. Whichever two teams make the final on October 16, it promises to be an action-packed sixteen days of top quality football. So keep your eyes on your favourite teams and footballers.