Bangladesh players celebrate Mirajul Islam's first-half goal against Nepal in the final of SAFF U-20 Championship.
Mirajul Islam scored a brace and set up another as Bangladesh clinched the title of the SAFF U-20 Championship for the first time with a scintillating 4-1 win against hosts Nepal in the final in Lalitpur today.
Mirajul, the Bangladesh No 10 opened the scoring with a brilliant free-kick in the stoppage time of the first half before doubling the team's lead nine minutes after restart with a point-blank header to confirm the first SAFF trophy at this level after having finished runners-up three times.
Rahul then pulled clear daylight between the two teams with a curling effort from just inside the box in the 71st minute after Mirajul had danced his way into the box with some eye-catching stepovers.
2024 SAFF U-20 Championship winner
Bangladesh players hold jerseys of Mehedi Hasan Srabon and Aky Marma, the two players who missed out on the final, before the kickoff.
Two-time champions Nepal, playing on their home turf at the ANFA Complex and in front of a packed crowd, controlled possession throughout the first half and created a few chances but Maruful Haque's charges were far more clinical. And clinical was Mirajul, who finished the tournament as the top-scorer with four goals from four matches.
