Hamza doubles Bangladesh's lead with stunning strike

Bangladesh captain Hamza Choudhury capped an impressive first-half display with a brilliant individual goal as the hosts took a commanding 2-0 lead against Sri Lanka in their final Group A match of the SAFF Championship at the National Stadium in Dhaka today.

The hosts started on the front foot and maintained their attacking intent throughout the first half, with Shamit Shome opening the scoring before Hamza doubled the advantage just before the break.

Bangladesh threatened early, with Hamza sending a free-kick over the crossbar in the fourth minute. Three minutes later, Farhaan Ali Wahid failed to make proper contact with a cross from Rakib Hossain, missing an opportunity to put the hosts ahead.

The breakthrough came in the eighth minute. Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera failed to gather a cross from the right, and although his first attempt to stop the effort was successful, Shamit Shome pounced on the rebound to put Bangladesh ahead.

Bangladesh continued to push for a second. Hamza fired over from outside the box following a corner in the 15th minute before narrowly missing the target with an attempted backheel after Farhan's header in the 25th minute.

Sri Lanka enjoyed more possession midway through the half, holding 53 per cent of the ball in the 35th minute, but struggled to turn it into clear-cut chances. A dangerous cross from Dillon Senan De Silva in the 40th minute briefly troubled the Bangladesh defence.

Hamza, however, had the final say before the interval. The Bangladesh skipper collected the ball on the left, beat a Sri Lankan defender and drove into the box before unleashing a powerful shot in the 44th minute. The effort struck goalkeeper Perera's knee and ended up in the net, giving the hosts a comfortable two-goal cushion at half-time.