MARGAO, APRIL 24: Bangladesh, as though apologising for two barren days of the SAFF Coca-Cola Cup Football Championships, today opened the floodgates with a 4-0 rout of Pakistan at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda here, to become the first semi-final qualifiers in the six-nation event.Mid-fielder Iqbal Hossien Iqbal struck the championship's first goal in the 9th minute, effectively the 189th minute of the event. But whether or not the team think-tank are altogether pleased with the resounding margin of victory is doubtful. ``We missed more chances than we scored,'' manager Khairul Pearu reacted immediately after the match.One unbelievable miss cost two-goal Mohd Minazur Rahman a hat-trick after the striker added two in the second half to batter Pakistan into submission.But after the emphatic win in Group A, both Pearu and Iraqi coach Shamir Mahmoud Shakir could afford to be profusely forgiving. They stressed that a day's break after a gruelling drawn match against formidable hosts India was simply toolittle for the players to recover. ``We performed today only because we were technically sound'' Pearu reckoned.For Pakistan, who've had the upper-hand on head-to-head contests, today's battering must rankle for some time to come. But members of the Pakistani press felt it was coming. With just one player from an u-19 squad that did reasonably well at the Asian qualifiers at Bangalore last year, the Pakistanis, who generally come up trumps in any physical contest were woefully out of gas as the match wore on.Alfaz Ahmed, Bangladesh's striker duly bagged the man of the match award and the Rs 10,000 cash prize with it. Another inspirational show helped score one goal and make another to effect a 2-0 half-time lead. Like Rahman, though, the sparkling and skilful striker also erred in finishing.After Iqbal's volley from 20 yards out took a nervy Pakistani custodian Mohd Younis' outstretched hands before going high into the net in the early minutes of play, Alfaz added the second after 31 minutes. Younis'bungling led to pressure on his own goal. He let the ball slip at a corner and Bangladesh skipper Jewel Rana crossed from the flank for Alfaz to head home easily at the far post.Striker Mohd Minazur Rahman running Alfaz close for the most valuable player award, beat the off-side trap in the 63rd minute from substitute Zakir Shahin's forward pass before blasting high into the net past an impressive substitute 'keeper Zahir Taj to make it 3-0. Rahman added another, picking the far top corner successfully from 20-yards after side stepping two defenders which brought up the fourth within minutes and set the Bangladeshis well and truly up for topping the group.Nepal bank on defenceA lot has happened to football in Nepal after the last SAFF Championships where the mountain kingdom were left holding the wooden spoon.The team was disbanded and an accent on youth has seen the Uzbek, Rustam Akramov, head the country's youth development for under-12s. A German, Torsten Spittler, has taken charge ofthe national squad and a dozen players have graduated from the junior squads into the present side which will take on Sri Lanka tomorrow in a SAFF Coca-Cola Cup Group B match at the Nehru Stadium.Spittler, a former Third Division player in the Bundesliga, appears to have the team's work cut out against Lankans. ``We will concentrate on defensive play. We won't concede a goal. Then we will try to get one,'' Spittler said.For the Sri Lankans the problem is striking goal. The Lankans wasted chances galore against Maldives in their opener on Friday and coach Hassimdeen expects to make changes in the forward line.
