Thiruvananthapuram: Bangladesh finished their 2015/16 SAFF Championship campaign on a positive note following a 3-0 win over Bhutan.
Following defeats to Afghanistan and the Maldives in their opening two Group B games, Bangladesh entered Monday’s clash at the Trivandrum International Stadium with their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals already over.
Nonetheless, they still showed plenty of endeavour to sign off on a high and duly took the lead after eight minutes, when defender Topu Barman popped up at the other end to net with a close-range header.
Bhutan’s hopes were dealt another blow in the 22nd minute when Chimi Dorji was sent off for a last-man foul on Hermanta Biswas, and the Bengal Tigers duly doubled their advantage as Shakhawat Rony converted the resultant penalty.
From then on, Bangladesh never looked in danger of relinquishing their lead but, just for good measure, Rony grabbed his second of the afternoon seven minutes after the hour mark to seal a commanding win for his side.
The result saw Bangladesh seal a third-place finish in the group, ahead of Bhutan, who finished with three defeats in as many games.
Photo: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com