Bangladesh boys recorded their third consecutive victory in the AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers after handing Sri Lanka a crushing 5-0 defeat at Tonglianglong Stadium in Chongqing, China on Wednesday.
With the latest win, Bangladesh topped six-team Group A with maximum nine points – winning all three matches so far with dominating display in every encounter, scoring a total of 18 goals.
Md Manik, who scored in the last two ties, found the goal again when the striker doubled the lead just before the half-hour mark. Ikramul Islam opened the scoring five minutes earlier.
Md Arif delivered a well-timed pass to Ikramul, who headed the ball into the net to open the scoring. Opu Rahman provided a brilliant pass to Manik, who controlled it smoothly and scored with a wonderful finish as the first-half ended 2-0.
Skipper Nazmul Huda Faysal extended the lead in the 64th minute. Rifat Kazi passed the ball to Faysal, who beat one defender and calmly placed the ball into the net.
Bayzit Bostami came off the bench to score with a powerful long-range kick in the 90th minute.
Faysal added his second goal with a superb long kick from a half-volley in the stoppage time.
Manik also netted a brace during Bangladesh’s 5-0 thrashing of Timor-Leste in the opening match. The boys in red and green hammered Brunei Darussalam 8-0 next as Manik scored one.
“It was an important match for us as the boys played according to the plan. They played attacking football from the beginning. They created chances with the time and utilized them. They dominated 90 minutes and kept the game under their control.” said Bangladesh U17 team’s head coach Golam Rabbani Choton after the massive win against Sri Lanka.
Choton also seek supports from the countrymen ahead of next two ‘important’ fixtures.
Bangladesh will face Bahrain in their fourth match at Chongqing’s Yongchuan Sports Center Stadium on Friday before concluding qualifying fixture against hosts China two days later.
Only the top finisher from the group will qualify for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026.
Seven group champions will secure places in the 16-team finals, joining hosts Saudi Arabia and eight other nations who have already qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
