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Farhad fires holders home

Bangladesh 3: Bhutan 0

AL MUSABBIR SADI from Karachi
Two-goal Ariful Kabir Farhad gave defending champions Bangladesh a confident start in the Fourth SAFF Cham-pionship with a 3-0 thrashing of Bhutan in the Group B opener at the People's
Sports Complex Stadium here yesterday.
Farhad broke the resistance of the tiny mountain kingdom in the 42nd minute and doubled the lead in the 58th while substitute Zahid Hossain Emily, buoyed by a 12,000-strong crowd supporting the Bangladesh team, sealed the victory four minutes from time with a sublime shot on his international debut.
Playing in their second-choice all white, the holders began lively with a string of neat passes and rushed early blood, but Arman's 20-yard freekick went just wide when the match was not even one-minute old.
Two minutes later, the eight-pack Bhutanese defence kept out Farhad's header on an Arman corner from their line before Farhad wasted a fine left-flank cross by Titu, placing the ball wide from close.
Having survived the early blitz, the tight Bhutan backline managed to keep the rivals at bay until Matiur Munna's freekick in the 42nd minute proved too good for them.
Munna floated the ball from 20
yards out and Farhad, the Abahani striker who has returned to the national fold after a decade, separated the two sides with a deft header.
Bangladesh goalkeeper Aminul, who was not required to make a single save in the first 45 minutes, was stretched in the injury time when he had to foil Wangay Dorji's long range effort in the injury time.
Bangladesh enjoyed superior ball possession and it was Farhad who found the mark again 13 minutes after the break. Dashing down the right flank, the diminutive forward dribbled past Kinley Wangchuk before lobbing goalkeeper Jigme Singye with a rightfooter from a tight angle.
Wangay, one of the two senior players of the squad, came close to reducing the gap in the 66th minute, but his 20-yard drive went over harmlessly after kissing the top of the crossbar.
There was no respite and Emily, who had replaced Kanchan, took the ball from a throw-in at the left flank and fired a dipping volley into the top right hand corner, giving the rival keeper no chance.
It could have been 4-0 shortly but Alfaz, receiving the ball from Emily near the penalty spot, miskicked his chance in injury time.
“I am happy that we won 3-0. I told my players before the match that no match is easy. Always be serious, also against young teams. I am satisfied because they have stuck to the task and we have made a winning start,” said Bangladesh's
Argentine coach Diego Cruciani after the match.
"In the first half, we made mistakes due to inefficiency. We lost too many opportunities. They also defended doggedly, packing their backline with many players. The start was shaky and nervous, the players were not moving well,” said Cruciani about his first international match as Bangladesh coach.
“It can happen at the start of a tournament. The goal from Emily was superb and I am happy because he is a young player playing his first international and that too in SAFF Championship. Farhad is a fighting man and very strong mentally.
The defence left wide gaps a few times, allowing the rivals to create space for attack and the Argentine thinks there was lack of understanding between Sujan and Rajani. "Sometimes our fullbacks forgot to return in time after overlapping. Still, it is a very good take-off," added the coach before going back to the pavilion to watch his group opponents Nepal and India play later on.
Bhutan chief coach Khare Basnet said the performance of his boys against a strong team made him happy.
"We could have played better had we not been scheduled to play in this warm condition. Our boys from the mountains are not accustomed to this heat. I don't know why the organisers have given us a day match when they could have
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easily held the games in the evening," Basnet complained.
TEAMS
BANGLADESH: Aminul, Hassan Al Mamun, Sujan, Rajani, Titu, Arman (Abul), Joy, Alfaz, Kanchan (Emily) and Farhad (Ujjal).
BHUTAN: Jigme Singye, Pema, Tandin, Passang, Nawang, Kinley Dorji, Bikash, Kinley Wangchuk (Sangay), Wangay and Pema Chopel (Wangchuk and Sonam).
Referee: Perera Hettikam (Sri
Lanka).