Bangladesh stormed into the final of the SAFF Under-17 Championship with a 2-0 win over Pakistan in the first semi-final of the seven-team tournament at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo on Thursday.
Two-time champions Bangladesh (2015, 2018) will face the winners of the other semi-final between India and Nepal in the final on Saturday.
In the day鈥檚 match, Bangladesh captain Nazmul Huda Faysal and forward Opu Rahman scored once each within the first four minutes of the game.
Faysal鈥檚 right-footed drive from the box found the net in the third minute after a pass from Opu, capitalising on a mispass by Pakistan keeper Saamar Razzak.
Opu doubled the advantage just a minute later, curling the ball into the net between two Pakistani defenders from inside the box.
Bangladesh could have increased their lead in the 13th minute, but Faysal鈥檚 goal was ruled out by the referee for offside.
Bangladesh wasted three promising opportunities in the second half, with attempts from forward Rifat Kazi, Faysal, and substitute midfielder Akash Ahmed occurring in the 49th, 51st, and 80th minutes, respectively.
Golam Rabbani Choton鈥檚 side previously defeated Sri Lanka and Nepal by an identical 4-0 margin to become the three-team Group A champions, while Pakistan beat Bhutan 4-0 and Maldives 5-2 before losing 3-2 to India to finish as Group B runners-up.
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