Bangladesh continued their incredible form in the AFC U-17 Qualifiers in Chongqing, China, securing a commanding 5-0 victory over Sri Lanka in their third group-stage match. This follows their earlier wins — 5-0 against Timor-Leste and 8-0 against Brunei Darussalam.
Captain Nazmul Huda Faisal led from the front with two goals, while Ikramul, Manik, and Bayezid added one each to seal another emphatic victory.
From the beginning, Bangladesh controlled possession and constantly pressed the Sri Lankan defense. Despite some impressive saves from the Sri Lankan goalkeeper, the relentless attacks ultimately resulted in five goals.
Goals Flow as Bangladesh Takes Full Control
Bangladesh went into halftime leading 2-0. The breakthrough came in the 24th minute when Ikramul headed home from a superb Arif cross. Just minutes later, Manik doubled the lead, finishing brilliantly from Apu’s precise pass.
The pressure continued in the second half. In the 64th minute, Faisal calmly slotted in after receiving a neat pass from Rifat. As the match approached its end, Bayezid unleashed a stunning long-range strike, making it 4-0. In stoppage time, captain Faisal completed his brace with a remarkable half-volley from distance.
Head coach Golam Rabbani Choton praised the team’s all-around performance, saying,
“𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 90 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔.”
He added,
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔.”
Bangladesh Eye Qualification as Tough Matches Ahead
Bangladesh competes in Group A, which includes hosts China, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka, and Bahrain. Only the group champion will qualify for the main round in Saudi Arabia next year.
Their next challenge comes on November 28, when they face Bahrain, one of their biggest rivals along with China.
Bangladesh’s dominant start has boosted hopes, but the upcoming fixtures will determine whether they can secure the top spot and qualify for the final tournament.
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