Sri Lanka face Bangladesh test for semifinal berth

Daily Mirror Sport and ThePapare report that hosts Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 4-0 in their final Group A match at the 15th SAFF Men’s Championship in Dhaka. ThePapare says the match was played before a packed crowd.

ThePapare reports that Sri Lanka needed a win to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while Bangladesh had already qualified. It says Bhutan were also following the result, as a convincing Bangladesh win would preserve their own qualification hopes. The outlet reports that Sri Lanka made eight changes to the starting side that faced Bhutan, and that Hamza Choudhury captained Bangladesh for the first time since his international debut.

ThePapare reports that Shamit Shome scored in the eighth minute and Choudhury added a second in the 43rd minute. Farhaan Ali Wahid made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute, with the outlet describing it as his first goal in front of home supporters. Daily Mirror Sport and ThePapare report the final score as 4-0, but the supplied reports do not identify the scorer or timing of Bangladesh’s fourth goal.

ThePapare and Hiru News report that Sri Lanka were eliminated from the tournament and lost their semi-final chance. Daily Mirror Sport says Sri Lanka had been seeking to reclaim the championship title after 31 years.