Bangladesh taste first defeat in SAFF Championship
An overhead bicycle kick and a calmly converted penalty saw hosts Maldives beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their SAFF Championship group stage encounter at the National Stadium in Male today.
Despite a number of attacks from Maldives, the first-half remained goalless. However, the hosts broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Hamza Mohamed's stunning overhead bicycle kick found its way into Bangladesh's net.
Maldives doubled their lead in the 74th minute after a long ball from the deep saw substitute Naiz Hassan through on goal. Hassan sprinted into the space and was brought down by a trailing Sohel Rana inside the box. Ali Ashfaq, Maldives all-time top goal scorer, made no mistake as he converted a calmly taken penalty.
Bangladesh, however, are still second in the five-team table with four points from three games. Maldives, who were bottom of the table, moved a place up with three points from two matches.
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