Mahinda Rajapaksa international soccer:

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh 1-0

S M Jiffrey Abdeen-Kandy Sports Correspondent reporting from Nawalapitiya

Sri Lanka under 23 soccer team came good when they squeezed through to a 1-0 win over Bangladesh and kept their chances alive in qualifying for the finals of the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Soccer Tournament-2012 organized by the Minister of Sports and the Football Federation of Sri Lanka and played at the Jayatillake Sports Complex, Nawalapitiya yesterday. At half time there was no scoring.

Before the commencement of the match the two teams were introduced to the chief guest and the Chief Minister of Central Province Sarath Ekanayake and President of FFSL Sarath Weerasekera.

It was an improved display by the Sri Lankans which enabled them to clinch victory. If there was one player who stood between victory and defeat for Sri Lanka is their goal keeper who brought several good saves to thwarts the Bangladeshis. He was simply brilliant between the posts. His judgement of the moves of the Bangladesh strikers was good.

The first half was evenly contested and both teams were seen going hammer and tongs to score. But their strong defences blocked each other’s moves.

The only scoring of the match came in the 31st minute of the second half when H D Chandraratne sent a cross pass from left flank to centre forward Eranda Prasad who on seeing Bangladesh custodian advancing headed the ball into the nets.

Thereafter Bangladesh got at least two chances of scoring but Goal Keeper Sujan Perera failed their attempts.

C Sri Krishna from India refereed. Earlier in the afternoon Maldive Islands registered their second successive win when they defeated Pakistan 1-0 in a thriller. Maldive Islands have now virtually qualified for the finals to be played this Sunday. Centre forward Imaaz Ahamed scored for Maldives.

G N Robesh refereed.