Bangladesh reach semi-finals as Bhutan stay in contention with draw against Sri Lanka

The equation was not particularly complicated. Bangladesh would qualify for the semi-finals if Sri Lanka beat or drew with Bhutan. Today, that off-field calculation was settled on the pitch as well.

The match between Bhutan and Sri Lanka at the National Stadium ended in a 2–2 draw, securing Bangladesh a place in the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship for the seventh time.

The result also kept Bhutan’s hopes alive. However, to reach the last four, Bhutan will now have to depend on the outcome of the Bangladesh–Sri Lanka match.

A single point for Sri Lanka in that game will be enough to secure its semi-final spot. Bangladesh, meanwhile, must win by a margin of at least two goals to knock Sri Lanka out.

For Bangladesh coach Thomas Dooley, today was an opportunity to watch their opponents up close. The team could have trained in the afternoon, but Dooley had a different plan.

After finishing their training session at 10:00 am, he took the players to the National Stadium. He wanted to watch both matches of the day from the stands, particularly to assess Sri Lanka’s style of play, strengths and weaknesses.

Bangladesh are scheduled to face Sri Lanka on 11 November.

Along with the chance to study their opponents, Dooley also got an entertaining match to watch. Two goals came within a span of two minutes.

The excitement began in the 34th minute when Bhutan took the lead through Dawa Tshering. But just a minute later, Oliver Kelaart brought Sri Lanka level with a stunning strike.

His shot from outside the box was a beauty. Sri Lanka attacked again in the 43rd minute, and Wasim Razeek put them 2–1 ahead with a precise header from Kelaart’s cross.

Bhutan tried to fight their way back into the game after the break and were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute. But Sri Lanka goalkeeper Sujan Perera saved captain Chencho’s spot kick. Chencho did not have to rue the missed penalty for long, however.

He scored a brilliant goal in the 76th minute to bring Bhutan level. The score remained 2–2, opening the door for Bangladesh to reach the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s preparations are also progressing, with coach Dooley feeling more at ease than before. Sheikh Morsalin took part in the entire training session today. However, Tapu Barman has yet to fully recover from his injury. Instead of training with the team, the defender did some running separately under the supervision of the physiotherapist.

Dooley placed particular emphasis on defensive work during today’s training session. One of Bangladesh’s longstanding problems has been conceding goals late in matches, and the statistics underline that concern.

Across 46 matches in the previous 13 editions of the SAFF Championship, Bangladesh have conceded 52 goals. Of those, 18 came after the 70th minute.

Maintaining defensive concentration until the final whistle therefore remains a major challenge for Bangladesh. Alongside sharpening the attack, the coach is urging his players to protect their goal right until the end.

In the first match of the day, Pakistan had already secured their semi-final place with a 3–0 victory over the Maldives. With the day’s two matches concluded, Bangladesh and Pakistan have now secured their places in the last four.

However, attendance at the stadium was disappointing. Even after offering a 50 per cent discount on tickets for both matches, the organisers failed to fill the stands.