Booters salvage face-saving win

Bangladesh ended their nightmarish SAFF Suzuki Cup campaign with a face-saving 3-0 victory over 10-man Bhutan at the Greenfield Stadium in Trivandrum yesterday. Topu Barman gave the men in red the lead with a header in the 8th minute before Shakhawat Hossain Rony scored on either side of the break as Bangladesh won their first points after defeats against holders Afghanistan (4-0) and Maldives (3-1).

Later in the day, Afghanistan beat Maldives 4-1 in the last match of the group stages to take the pole position in Group B. The defending champions will face Sri Lanka in the second semifinal on Thursday after hosts India face off with former champions Maldives in the first semifinal earlier in the day.

The Bangladesh team, which saw two changes in its starting eleven with Nasirul Islam replacing Raihan Hasan in right-back and Nabib Newaz Jibon coming in place of Sohel Rana, started the game brightly. Centre-back Topu found himself in thick of things, albeit in front of the opposition goal. The gangling defender fluffed an easy chance from a point-blank range in the sixth minute before redeeming himself two minutes later with a simple nod in on a corner from Mamunul Islam which was directed towards him by fellow centre-back Yeasin Khan.

Bangladesh's attacking forays kept the Bhutan defence on their toes, and once Hemanta Vincent Biswash was brought down just inside the danger zone in the 23rd minute, earning Bangladesh a spot kick and their opposition a straight red card in the process, there was only one direction the game was headed to.

Rony, who had missed two sitters in crucial circumstances in the two previous matches, made no mistake this time, sending Bhutan keeper Hari Gurung the wrong way. The tall centre-forward could have doubled his tally in the 40th minute had his attempt on goal not been kept out brilliantly by the outstretched right leg of Gurung.

Tshering Dorji saw his powerful attempt parried away by Shahidul before Rony took the game away from Bhutan's reach with a clinical finish on a through-ball from Yeasin in the 66th minute. Bangladesh coach Maruful Haque made three changes in the second half, but his side failed to increase the lead despite breaching the opposition defence on a number of occasions.

Jibon's toe-poke from in front of the goal in the 74th minute missed the target by a yard before Gurung brilliantly tipped over a powerful shot from substitute Sohel Rana in the dying minutes.

For the records, the win snapped Bangladesh's nine-match losing streak in the competition and helped them finish fifth, ahead of Nepal and Bhutan, both of whom finished without points.

Bangladesh also managed to bag more points this time around than their two previous campaigns combined, however, they would probably want to forget the whole episode, which had been preceded by a lot of trumpeting, but ended in only disappointment.