HATTRICK HERO: Sri Lanka striker Kasun Jayasuriya is flying high after scoring his third goal against Bhutan in the SAFF Championship at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Photo: STAR

Kasun Jayasuriya slammed the first hattrick of the SAFF Championship as a ruthless Sri Lanka thumped Bhutan 6-0 in a Group B encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
This emphatic victory after their 1-0 passage over Pakistan in the opening match puts Sri Lanka into the semifinals, as hosts Bangladesh and Pakistan could only draw 0-0. A hapless Bhutan on the other hand confirmed a predictable exit from the eight-nation meet with a match in hand after conceding ten goals in two games.
Apart from Jayasuriya's treble, EB Channa struck a brace while Chathura Gunarathne netted the other in the one-side affair.
A barrage of attacks from the Lankans got the game underway. The first scoring opportunity came as early as in the third minute when Jayasuriya, who plays in the Indian I-League, fed the ball to fellow striker Sanjeev who stabbed the ball right into the palms of the Bhutan keeper Leki. The Bhutan goalkeeper was called into action two minutes later and this time he palmed away a fierce shot from Gunarathne. However, it took Sri Lanka only eight minutes to go ahead, courtesy of a fine through ball from Sanjeev who found an impressive Channa on the end of it. Channa coolly slotted the ball past a diving Leki to open the floodgate for the islanders.
The provider of the first goal Sanjeev then missed a sitter a minute later as he drove the ball wide from point-blank range. Channa, created constant havoc around the box with his mazy runs and dribbles. He let loose a firm left-footer from outside the box on 18 minutes, but this time Leki was up to the task. Bhutan tried to impose their authority with a few counter-attacks. And they missed a golden opportunity in the 22nd minute when Gyeltshen fired the ball over the crossbar from a dangerous free-kick by Passang Tshering from the left hand corner.
Bhutan should have got an equaliser, though, a minute later when Tshering dodged past two defenders and found a way past Sri Lanka keeper, but his shot was saved on the goal line by Lanka defender Izzadeen.
Channa doubled the margin shooting the ball home from a goal-mouth melee. Sri Lanka got a third in the 39th minute through Jayasuriya, who after being fed by captain Chatura Weerasinghe, ran past one defender before slotting the ball past a diving Leki.
The second half started in a similar fashion as the Sri Lanka midfield imposed their complete authority on the game, leaving the Bhutan defense in complete disarray. Jayasuriya got his second of the game and Sri Lanka's fourth in the sixty-sixth minute when he found himself unmarked inside the box, took it past an advancing Leki and gently prodded it home. A few minutes later the Bhutan keeper made a brilliant save that denied Jayasuriya his hattrick. The Lanka striker however made it his day and got his third on the 78th minute, as he coolly tapped in an angled-pass from the left hand side from Izzeddin.
The other scorer Channa could have had his third too had he not wasted a golden opportunity on the 83rd minute, his lob over the advancing keeper missing the open net by some distance. Bhutan, in the mean time, pressed hard for a consolation on the counter attacks, but their efforts ran dry in the last quarter of the Sri Lanka half, much to the disappointment of the cheering neutral supporters. Sri Lanka, though, put the icing on the cake with a sixth, just before the final whistle as Gunarathne, who scored from a penalty against Pakistan, heading in a cross from Channa.
The Lanka trainer Sumith Walpola was ecstatic but not overjoyed with this easy win.
" We lost a couple of important players in the match against Pakistan. And we missed a key player through flu. Even though this was expected to be an easy game for us, we came home strongly. We have a seven goal advantage now which puts us in a strong position in the group."
Walpola's counterpart Koji Gyotoku took the defeat gracefully admitting that even though their initial plan was to snatch a point from this game, they were found wanting against a much better side both physically and technically.
TEAMS
Sri Lanka: KCK Lankesara, Y Sadhishkumar (Ajith Kumara), SK Chatura M Weerasinghe, WN Kasun Jayasuriya, EB Channa, S Sanjeev (LAND Bandara), L Duddley Steinwall, WRD Ruwanthilaka, MNM Izzadeen, WA Chathura Gunarathne and M Asmeer
Bhutan: Leki, Tandin Tshering, Prema, Passang Tshering, Sonam Tenzin, Nawang Dendup, Karun Gurung, Gyeltshen, Chimi Dorji, Kinley Wangchuk and Dawa Gyeltshen.
Referee: Adil Ali (Maldives)