Bangladesh beat India to advance into SAFF U-20 Championship final

Substitute goalkeeper Mohammad Asif made two crucial penalty saves in the shootout, leading Bangladesh to a 4-3 victory over India in the second semifinal of the SAFF U-20 Championship at the ANFA Complex in Lalitpur, Nepal today. With this win, Bangladesh  advanced to the final.

From the beginning, India launched continuous attacks, but Bangladesh didn’t lose their composure. They managed to stay ahead despite the pressure. In the second half, India’s attacks became even more intense, but Bangladesh’s goalkeeper, Mehedi Hasan Srabon, effectively defended their goal. However, after he left the field due to an injury, Bangladesh conceded a goal.

With no more goals scored in the regular time, the match went to a penalty shootout. Thanks to the heroics of substitute goalkeeper Asif Hossain, Bangladesh defeated India 4-3 in the shootout and advanced to the final of the U-20 SAFF Championship. The match, which took place on Monday at the ANFA Complex in Lalitpur, Nepal, ended 1-1 in regular time.

Asif, who came on as a substitute, played a crucial role. He saved India’s first penalty shot taken by Thanglansung Gangte by diving to his right. Then, Bangladesh’s Piyas Ahmed Nova, Moinul Islam Moin, Shakil Ahad Tupu, and Ashraful Haque Asif scored their penalties. India’s final shot was taken by Akash Tirke, which Asif also saved, leading Bangladesh to the final.

Bangladesh’s U-20 team seemingly took revenge for their defeat in the final against India a few years ago. They had lost to India in the final of the U-20 SAFF Championship in 2022. This time, they eliminated India before the final and advanced to the title match. Although this tournament is currently for the U-20 category, it has previously been held for U-18 and U-19 categories as well.

For the first 25 minutes of the match, India dominated. Bangladesh began to counterattack as the game progressed. Although they were behind in possession battles, they took the lead in the 35th minute. A strong cross from the left by Rabbi Hossain Rahul touched the goalkeeper’s gloves and reached Asadul Mollah, who gently tapped the ball into the net. In the 60th minute, India equalized with a goal from Ricky Mite Hobam.