Sri Lanka beat Bhutan 4-0 to move in to semi-final

Bernard Perera

SAG SOCCER: Sri Lanka entered the semi-final of the 10th South Asian Games soccer championship with a brilliant performance under difficult conditions beating Bhutan four goals to nil in their final game of the Group 'A' match at the Sugathadasa stadium Yesterday.

Sri Lanka needing a win this game to reach the semi final with a goal margin of three were placed in a very precarious position soon after Maldives ran through the defence of the defending champions to post a three goals to one victory. This resulting in the Lankans having to win with very high goal rate.

Lankans got into the act from the very first minute going on the attack and got close to scoring in the second minute but could not take that opportunity as the strikers failed to find the target. There were many good moves that went very near to their opponents. The first session of ply saw the Lankans miss five scoring chances.

Bhutanese too put up a fine show at this stage to thwart the Lankan attackers by putting pressure from the defence line. D.A. Nimal The player who gave Lanka victory over Maldives in the opening game coming in as substitute to score the winning goal, once again came out handy for the side when he found the net in the 22nd minute to put Sri Lanka in the lead.

They tried to increase the lead further but could not make it as the custodian did well to save few certain goals till the half way mark. Lemons were taken with scoreboard reading one nil in favour of the hosts. The turn around saw Lankans adopt new strategies to increase their lead which brought in good results. Here too it was Nimal Fernando who got the most vital goal once again to score his double and the total two for Sri Lanka in the early stage of the second session.

Striker P.P. Nadeeka Handi was at his best giving support to his other striker by feeding him with many good balls from various angles. But none could bring in goals for the Lankans.

Sensing that goals are most valuable at this stage he on his own tried to find the net and succeeded in getting the third. Sri Lanka three Bhutan nil.

Nadeeka and Nimal went on the goal hunt again but only Nadeeka was successful in this attempt in the last few minutes scoring his cesond and Lanka's fourth. The final whistle was blown by the Bangladeshi referee Miron Abdul Hannan.

Now with this victory Sri Lanka is assured of the place in the semi final and also the top position in the group 'A' points table.

Meanwhile in the earlier match unexpected happened when the high riding Pakistanis suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Maldives. Pakistan came into the game as firm favourites after their success against Sri Lanka in their opening game last Monday. Pakistan who were with three points turned the game in their favour in the first session of play going ahead one nil.

Soggy ground conditions did not allow the soccerites play their normal game. But soon after after lemons Maldivians came back to the game. It was their skipper Ali Asfaq who gave his team the needed equaliser which also became amorale booster for his side.

The players sensing the skippers intention did everything what the captain wanted from them. They baffled the Pakistanis right through this session and fed the skipper with many good moves.

Asfaq made no mistakes with the correct balls that came his way and added two more goals to make a hat trick for him and a victory his side.

Now Pakistan is placed in a position where a victory against Bhutan alone cannot put them to the semis. The victory they make against should come with a goal margin exceeding three goals or else Maldives will fill the next semi final slot from Group'A'.