Needing a win to stay alive in the competition, Bangladesh’s footballers pulled off a superb comeback win against Maldives in the second group game of the 14th SAFF CHampionship on Sunday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.

Bangladesh started positively and dominated possession, but fell behind to a goal by Hamza Mohammed in the 17th minute - one of only two shots on target for Maldives in the whole game. In contrast, Bangladesh had 9 shots on target.

The Green and Reds looked frantically for the equaliser, and their efforts paid off just before half time, through Rakib Hossain in the 42nd minute.

The second half saw Bangladesh continue to dominate, and Tariq Kazi put the team ahead in the 67th minute from a goalmouth melee, bundling the ball in at the third attempt. 

Morsalin added a third in the 90th minute, finishing nicely from the left of the box after being set up by Bishwanath. 

A defeat against the Maldives would have dashed Bangladesh's chances of reaching the semifinals, while a draw would have made it difficult too. However, the team bounced back from their first-match defeat and secured a convincing win.

It puts Bangladesh level on points with Maldives with one game left, which they will play against Bhutan, while Maldives play Lebanon. 

Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan stated that their main target is to reach the semifinals, but they are taking it one match at a time.

Bangladesh's most significant success in the SAFF Championship was in 2003 when they defeated Maldives in the final at home, claiming their first SAFF title. Incidentally that was the last time Bangladesh beat Maldives, who enjoy a high FIFA ranking, in the competition.

In the last two decades, Bangladesh have reached the SAFF finals twice but fell short of replicating that historic achievement.