Bangladesh booked their maiden final berth in the SAFF U-16 Championship overcoming Afghanistan by a solitary goal in a tense semifinal battle at the Sylhet District Stadium yesterday. Midfielder Saad Uddin, one of Sylhet's own, scored the all important goal in the 56th minute to send the boys in red to their first final, having exited the competition from this stage in the previous two editions.
The Bangladesh boys will meet India in Tuesday's final as the defending champions later handed a single-goal defeat to Nepal in the second semifinal.
Having outclassed Sri Lanka in their opening match, and overcome India in another difficult group stage encounter, Bangladesh were expected to put on a dominant display against a side they had beaten two years ago. But the young brigade of the Lions of Khorasan proved to be more than just a physical side, causing a few problems to the Bangladesh defence with their incisive attacks, especially through the wings. The hosts did dominate possession, and tried to build up the game with short passes, but the heavy ground and a lack of synch among the players in the attacking third meant most of the forays failed to be penetrative.
However, somewhat against the run of play, the hosts gifted the opposition a spot kick in the 38th minute, with defender Jahangir Alam Sajib needlessly pushing Afghanistan striker Abdul Naser Amini inside the forbidden zone, despite already having cleared the ball. But to the relief of the Bangladesh team and that of the full-house crowd, Amini blasted the ball woefully over the crossbar.
The big break for Bangladesh came in the 56th minute when Sarwar Zaman Nipu's shot, at the end of a bursting run, was parried for a corner by the Afghan gopalkeeper. Saad was at hand to rifle the ball home when Khalil Bhuiyan's curler was headed to his path by skipper Shawon Hossain.
Chances came at both ends towards the end, with Bangladesh substitute Mohammad Rony rattling the crossbar with a glancing header in the 88th minute before Bangladesh goalkeeper Faisal Ahmed needed to produce a brilliant one-handed save in the stoppage time to deny the visitors a chance to crawl back.
Goalscorer Saad was delighted with being able to contribute to the victory. “This was my first goal in the tournament which makes me very proud. My family members and relatives were here, so it was pretty special to score in front of them,” said Saad in his post-match reaction. “My players were not physically as strong as the opposition. They were weary in the second half, which is why they could not create the pressure that was needed towards the end. Still they successfully held their own,” opined Bangladesh coach Syed Golam Jilani.
