Lankans open with 3-0 thrashing of Bhutan in SAFF Championship

New Delhi: Nipuna Dewinda Bandara struck twice as Sri Lanka thrashed Bhutan 3-0 to kick off their campaign in the SAFF Football Championship on a winning note on Saturday.

Bandara found the target in the 35th and 65th minutes after Mi Mohammad Zain opened the scoring 29 minutes into the first half at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. The match was as good as over in the first half itself as Sri Lanka never gave the Bhutanese an inch in the Group A match, which followed the 1-1 stalemate between hosts India and Afghanistan. Bhutan would have lost by an even bigger margin had Mohamed Zain`s attempt from outside the box not missed the target by a whisker. In the 14th minute, goalkeeper Mon Bdr Bhattrai made a mockery of a simple collection, nearly helping the ball into his own net. Sri Lanka, the better of the two sides, made the first breakthrough when Chathura Gunarathna`s cross from the left was slotted home by Mohamed Zain. Bandara doubled the lead when he scored from inside the box after being fed by Mohamed Zain. Bandara was in the thick of things again as he scored his second goal of the match, thanks to the relentless pressure the Lankans applied on the Bhutanese citadel. PTI