The Sri Lankan Men’s hockey team defeated heavyweights Hong Kong 2-0 in the second semifinal of the 5th Asian Hockey Federation Cup encounter played in Hong Kong and are in line to face Bangladesh in a crucial final.
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The semifinal encounter had a delayed start due to the rainy conditions in the Kings Park Stadium in Hong Kong and it was the Lankans who stamped their dominance in the match in the very first minutes.
Damith Bandara of Sri Lanka brought in the first goal in the 4th minute of play to give the team a 1-0 early lead. With hosts Hong Kong having no luck in the first half to equalise, it was Sri Lanka’s Sandaruwan Priyalankara who got his name on the goal scorer’s list in the second half.
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A field goal by Priyalankara in the 66th minute of play sealed the final spot for Sri Lanka with the match finishing 2-0. Priyalankara has been exceptional for the team and the goal he scored was his fifth in the competition.
With this win, Nalantha De Silva’s Sri Lankan team is in the finals of 5th AHF Cup and will face a strong Bangladesh side this evening. Bangladesh massacred Singapore in the semifinals 8-0 and will be a tough opponent to counter for Sri Lanka.
The winner of this competition will get the ticket to participate in the Asia Cup and Sri Lanka is just one win away from achieving that.
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Sri Lanka has had a successful campaign in Hong Kong and still remains unbeaten. They recorded wins against Uzbekistan and Thailand in the semifinals and drew with Singapore.
Read also : 5th AHF Cup: Last minute goal deprives Sri Lanka of a win
Full time score: Sri Lanka 2 (Sandaruwan Priyalankara, Damith Bandara) – Hong Kong 0
