Bangladesh have progressed to the semi-finals of Bangabandhu Gold Cup for the first time defeating Sri Lanka 1-0. The hosts held on to their slim lead at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday to bag all three points and make it to the last four as runners-up from Group A. Midfielder Hemanta Vincent Biswas settled the tie in the 41st minute with a screamer from outside the box. Malaysia had already booked a spot in the semis as Group A champions. Despite lack of pace up front, Bangladesh played with short passes to keep pressure on opponents. Sohel Rana, Zahid Hasan Emily and Hemanta Biswas combined for the goal minutes before the first half ended. Sohel initiated the attack from midfield, sending the ball to Emily who chested it down and threaded it to Biswas outside the box. His powerful drive beat the Lankan keeper and sent the stadium into rapture. Sheikh Russell forward Jahid Hossain had earlier failed to get on the scoresheet . Fed by captain Mamunul Islam’s pass, he fired straight to the keeper in the 11th minute. Bangladesh missed another great chance a minute after the half-hour. Rayhan Hasan threw long into the box where midfielder Sohel Rana’s goal-bound shot took a deflection off a Lankan defender. Sri Lanka had a big opportunity to go level in the second half when Bangladesh goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel brought down HK Ishan in the box and conceded a penalty in the 66th minute. But Shahidul made amends by blocking the resulting spotkick and the rebound header. Bangladesh would have progressed even if the match had ended in a draw. The win helped Bangladesh to maintain their run of success against Sri Lanka. The sides met in October for two friendlies. They played out a goalless stalemate in Jessore but Bangladesh won 1-0 in Rajshahi. The Bangladesh national team took part in the competition in 1999 for the first time after it kicked off in 1996 with clubs. But they never made it past group stages. –bdnews24.com
