Sri Lanka opened their Bangabandhu SAFF Championship in a mixed note with a 1-0 win over Pakistan but finishing the match with nine men at the Bangabandhu National stadium on Friday. . Pakistan with their speedy counter attack based game kept Sri Lanka cornered at their end all through the match but lacked the finishing edge. To add more woes to their sufferings Pakistan missed a penalty squandering the opportunity of restoring the parity in the dying minutes of the match..
Pakistan started brightly while Sri Lanka adopted a cautious strategy in the opening minutes. Pakistani forward Arif Mehmood drew the first blood in the 12th minute but his solo effort from the right flank floated over the crosspiece.
Sri Lanka took lead in the 23rd minute through a penalty against the run of the play. The counter attack initiated at the Sri Lankan midfield by Kasun Jayasuria found ace forward Channa unmarked in the box and Pakistani custodian Jaffer Khan’s onrushing challenge over Channa left Omani referee Al Hosni Ibrahim no option apart from awarding a penalty to Sri Lanka. Chatura Gunaratne converted the spot kick thus becoming the first scorer of the 2009 meet.
Pakistan rattled by the strike piled up pressure upon the opponents but the determined Sri Lankan defence arrived as a stone wall in front of them. Adnan Farooq Ahmed, England based Pakistani midfielder of Pakistan wasted an easy chance in the 40th minute blasting over the crosspiece from the middle of the box.
The second half belonged to Pakistan but all of their efforts fell short of an efficient scorer. Sri Lankan defender Ruwanthilaka defied Arif with a sliding clearance in the 50th minute. Pakistan continued the onslaught from the flanks and through the midfield but Sri Lanka packed their defence never allowing any free space for the Pakistani attackers.
However the scenario turned worse for Sri Lanka in the 86th minute when midfielder Hettiarachchi saw his second yellow card and in the very next minute another midfielder Sanjaya Pradeep Kumara also received the marching order for a foul upon Shabir Khan that resulted in a penalty. But much to the dismay to the Pakistan tent Adnan Farook blasted the wide of the side post.
Pakistan was searching their soul what went wrong in the remaining minutes when referee blew the long whistle.