New Delhi: Former champions Maldives rode on Ahmed Tariq's double strike to defeat Bangladesh 3-1 and advance to the semifinals of the SAFF Football Championship along with Nepal here on Tuesday.
Man of the match Tariq found the net in the sixth and 16th minute while Ali Ashfaq added one to his name by scoring in the 70th minute. For Bangladesh, Md Shahedul Alam Shahed struck the lone goal at the half hour mark.
While Maldives finished group B on top thanks to a better goal difference, Nepal advanced to the last-four stage as the second best team from the pool.
The Himalayan nation held Pakistan to a 1-1 draw in the day's earlier match at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Maldives were on the attack from the word go and that did pay off when Tariq's well-directed header off a Mohamed Umair cross from the right found the target.
Tariq made it 2-0 for Maldives 10 minutes later, when he tapped in an Ashfaq assist from the right. Ashfaq dribbled past a few Bangladeshi defender before laying one for Tariq who finished the job without any trouble.
Shahed kept the Bangla challenge alive as he unleashed a shot that curled over goalkeeper Imran Mohammed on the 30th minute.
Bangladesh had the possession in the second half but all hopes of a turnaround were put to rest when Ashfaq placed the ball into an empty net after getting the better of Sahidul Alam in the 70th minute.
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