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Bangladesh produced a scintillating display of attacking football to thrash Sri Lanka 4-0 in their final SAFF Championship Group A fixture on Wednesday, setting up a semifinal clash against Pakistan.
Shamit Shome, Hamza Choudhury, Farhaan Ali Wahid and Rakib Hossain scored as the men in red and green delivered their finest performance under head coach Thomas Dooley, and arguably their best in a long time.
Bangladesh scored twice in each half to dominate the contest at the National Stadium in Dhaka, eliminating Abdullah Al Mutairi's Sri Lanka and finishing top of the group with six points from two matches.
The result also confirmed Bhutan's place as Group A runners-up. They will face India in the first semifinal on Saturday, while Bangladesh take on Pakistan in the second semifinal later that day.
Shamit gave Bangladesh the perfect start with a volley from inside the box after capitalising on a rebound. The New York Cosmos midfielder collected the ball after Sri Lanka goalkeeper Sujan Perera punched away Hamza's cross. His first attempt was blocked by Christopher Kelly, but Shamit found space to slot home the rebound. It was his second international goal for Bangladesh, both scored at the same venue.
Hamza, operating at an advanced central midfield role, came close to scoring a spectacular goal after controlling a Rakib Hossain header inside the box before attempting an audacious back-heel flick. The effort missed the target by a few feet, with Perera out of position.
Hamza grabbed the second goal for the team and the fifth of his Bangladesh career two minutes before the break when he calmly slotted home Mohammad Ibrahim's lay-off, with the ball finding the back of the net despite the goalkeeper getting a touch.
Farhaan Ali Wahid scored arguably the goal of the tournament, stunning Sri Lanka with a brilliant solo effort seven minutes after the restart. The Boreham Wood midfielder skipped past two defenders as he cut inside the box, then outfoxed another before picking out the top corner, with the ball taking a slight deflection off an opposing defender.
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