In the second semi-final, India will face off against Maldives Friday at the same venue at 3:15pm, Bangladesh Standard Time
Bangladesh will take on Bhutan Friday in the first semi-final of the Saff U-18 Championship at APF Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal, at 11:15am, Bangladesh standard time.
It was decided after much drama that the youngsters in red and green will lock horns with Bhutan as lottery was needed to determine the group champions and runners-up sides.
In the end, Bangladesh became Group B runners-up behind India, while Bhutan were Group A champion, ahead of Maldives.
Bangladesh began their campaign with a resounding 3-0 win over Sri Lanka before being held to a goalless draw by India.
On the eve of their clash, Bangladesh head coach Andrew Peter Turner said, “A very positive game, it’s nice to know who we’re going to play, because over the last couple of days we didn’t know who we’ll play, Bhutan or Maldives. We’ve watched them (Bhutan) a couple of times, we know exactly what they’re like. They’re a decent outfit, we’ve prepared, we’ve trained well. We’ve got our plans in place, hopefully we’ll get through to the final.”
Bangladesh got Bhutan as opponent in the semi-final of the Saff U-18 Championship 2019 as group runners-up after India defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 in the last match of Group B at APF Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal Wednesday.https://t.co/ru1vZkZddu#BFF #FOOTBALL #BANGLADESHFOOTBALL
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) September 25, 2019
Although Bangladesh have no injury concerns, one bone of contention is the probable suspension of a few players if they do reach the final and Turner was fully aware of this fact.
“There will be aches and pains along the way, we’ve played a lot of football in a short space of time, we’ve got one or two yellow cards, we’ve got to consider it. You get two yellow cards in the tournament, you get suspended, we’re in the semi-final, they’ll be suspended for the final. We want to go strong. I want to trust my players, to do it sensibly, do it properly, and hopefully we’ll be in the final, where we all want to be,” said Turner.
In the second semi-final, India will face off against Maldives Friday at the same venue at 3:15pm, BST.
The final and third-place playoff will be held Sunday.
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