Fourteen-year-old striker Srimoti Krishnarani Sarkar was the star at the women's football event in South Asian Games (SAG) as she scored a brace to help Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong on Sunday.
Sarkar scored both the goals in the second half of the match which gave the Bangladeshi side a first win after losing to Nepal 0-3 in their first encounter.
The Islanders started off cautiously against Bangladesh and were placed on the back foot during the early part of the match. Sri Lankan midfielder P M Perera delivered a calculated through ball that was scored by I. Liyanage but the referee called offside just at the stroke of half-time.
In the 65th minute, the Bangladeshi side drew first blood with a splendid goal by Sarkar. She hit a vicious left-footer that dipped into the net.
However, the lead was short-lived as Sri Lanka pulled one back through a header by R. Ekanayake three minutes later.
Sarkar decided the fate of the match in the 83rd minute through a left footed shot as Bangladesh held the last few minutes to complete the victory.
The South Asian Games is coincidentally Srimoti's first international experience with the senior team.
