Bangladesh kept themselves in the hunt for a semi-final berth in the SAFF Championship with a gritty 3-1 win over Maldives in Bangalore on Sunday.

Hamza Mohammad (17th minute) put Maldives in front but Bangladesh struck back through Rakib Hossain (42nd minute), Tariq Kazi (67th minute) and Shekh Morsalin (90th minute) to collect three important points in a Group B match.

Maldives also have three points, courtesy their 2-0 win over Bhutan in the first match. Now, both Maldives and Bangladesh are in a must-win situation against Lebanon and Bhutan in their respective last league matches on Wednesday.

Despite the fact that it was a must-win match for them, Bangladesh did not show much urgency in the initial stages. Maldives made full use of that laxity to go ahead through Hamza.

The goal seemed to have made Bangladesh players realise the need to be more proactive, and it reflected in their moves. They mounted quick counterattacks and closed ranks whenever Maldvies tried to add to their goal tally.

Lebanon picked up their second straight win with a 4-1 demolition of Bhutan.

Lebanon did all the damage in the first half, with four different scorers finding the net. Aleksandar Ilic’s side are now on six points.

A draw against Maldives will be enough for Lebanon to top the group.