Captain Hamza scores and assists as Bangladesh lead Sri Lanka 2-0 at half-time

Hamza Chowdhury shone in his very first match as captain. He scored one goal himself and set up another for a teammate. Riding on the captain's all-round performance, Bangladesh took a strong 2-0 lead over Sri Lanka in the first half of the match to decide the top spot in Group A of the SAFF Championship.

At home at the National Stadium, the red-and-green representatives pinned Sri Lanka back from the start of the match. In the fifth minute, Rakib Hossain was fouled just outside the box and Bangladesh won a free kick. Hamza's curling shot from there went over the crossbar.

The hosts did not have to wait long for a goal, however. In the eighth minute, Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera failed to grip a measured cross from Hamza on the right. Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome latched onto the loose ball and, after failing with his first attempt, put the ball in the net with his second shot. It was his second international goal for the national team.

Even after going 1-0 ahead, Bangladesh did not reduce the intensity of their attacks. In the 25th minute, captain Hamza himself came very close to doubling the lead. From a long pass by Farhan Ali Wahid, Rakib headed the ball into the box. Hamza took a precise backheel flick on the move over the goalkeeper's head, but the ball went just over and out.

Right at the end of the first half, the Bangladesh captain did not let the chance slip. In the 44th minute, Hamza broke into the Sri Lankan defence with a solo run down the left. He beat a defender with fine dribbling and took a powerful shot. The ball struck Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera's knee and went straight into the net, making the score 2-0.

As soon as Hamza scored, thousands of spectators in the gallery erupted in celebration. Bangladesh left the field at the end of the first half with that comfortable lead.

During the match, a huge banner was also seen in one part of the gallery. The AI-made picture showed Sri Lanka coach Abdullah Al Mutairi taking the jersey of Bangladesh player Farhan Ali Wahid from his hand. On the right side of the banner was written in English, 'Don't cry, go back home'.

The background to the banner lies in the Sri Lankan coach's earlier comments. After the draw against Bhutan in the current SAFF Championship, Mutairi had commented on the refereeing, with a dig at host Bangladesh in it as well. He had said that if, thinking of commercial benefit, the organisers wanted to see India and Bangladesh in the final, the final should be arranged only between those two teams and the rest of the teams sent home.

Mutairi commented again the day before the Bangladesh match. He said that if he told his wife to keep something secret, it would mean everyone in the family would know it; Bangladesh's media is much the same, and nothing stays secret here. Before the SAFF tournament, he had also expressed a wish to keep Farhan's jersey.

Bangladeshi football fans did not like these comments by the Sri Lankan coach. That is why football fans turned up at the Dhaka stadium with such a banner about him.