Topu Barman's 56th-minute spot-kick gave Bangladesh a winning start in their SAFF Championship campaign as the men in red and green beat Sri Lanka 1-0 at the National Stadium in the Maldives today.

The veteran centre-back, who forced a fingertip save from Sri Lanka goalkeeper Sujan Perera at the stroke of half-time, converted the penalty calmly after Sri Lanka defender Duckson Puslas handled the ball inside the box on a chip from Biplo Ahmed.

Bangladesh football team pose for a picture before the SAFF Championship opener against Sri Lanka. Photo: Collected

Duckson, who was cautioned with a yellow card in the first half for a reckless challenge, was given marching orders after the incident as Bangladesh took the lead and played the rest of the game with numerical superiority.    

Bangladesh will face seven-time India in their next game on Monday at the same venue.