Dhaka, November 5: India opened their defence of the SAFF Championship with a 3-2 win over Pakistan on Thursday, but a match that appeared settled at half-time became tense after two late goals in stoppage time at the National Stadium in Dhaka. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice and Manglenthang Kipgen added a third before Pakistan mounted a late response through Najeeb Ullah and Alamgir Ghazi.
The result gives India three points in Group B and an early lead in the race for a semi-final place. The defending champions controlled the first half, repeatedly finding space behind Pakistan’s defensive line. Their advantage was built through three goals in the opening 31 minutes, yet the final sequence exposed a weakness in closing out a game after the attacking tempo had dropped.
Bhat had briefly thought he had scored in the 12th minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside. He opened the scoring a minute later after Muhammad Suhail advanced down the left and delivered into the penalty area. Bhat timed his run to meet the ball at close range and put India ahead.
The forward doubled the lead in the 19th minute. Abhishek Suryavanshi, operating in a deeper midfield role, played a pass through the Pakistan defence. Bhat ran onto it and finished beyond goalkeeper Yousuf Butt, giving India a two-goal cushion before Pakistan had found a way to slow the movement between the lines.
Kipgen made it 3-0 in the 31st minute. Noufal PN carried the ball through the middle before releasing the midfielder into space behind the defence. Kipgen advanced on goal and beat Butt, completing a first-half spell in which India converted three of their clearest openings.
Pakistan had a chance to reduce the deficit before the interval. Suryavanshi brought down Hayyaan Khattak inside the penalty area, but Shayak Dost sent the resulting spot-kick over the crossbar. Bhat came close to a third goal shortly before half-time when he cut in from the right and tried a left-footed shot from outside the box; the attempt went narrowly wide.
India continued to create opportunities after the restart but did not add to their lead. Adison Singh Thokchom was denied in a one-on-one situation, while Kipgen and Farukh Choudhary also had attempts. The side coached by Naushad Moosa retained possession and territory for long spells, but the missed chances meant the score remained within reach if Pakistan could find a late opening.
Pakistan’s first goal arrived in the 91st minute. Junaid Shah crossed from the left and Najeeb Ullah rose to head the ball past India goalkeeper Arsh Anwer Shaikh. Three minutes later, McKeal Abdullah delivered from the right side of the penalty area. Alamgir Ghazi controlled the ball and finished with an acrobatic effort to make it 3-2.
The two goals came too late to overturn the result, but they changed the closing minutes and forced India to protect a lead that had looked secure. The late pressure will give the coaching staff a clear point to examine: India had managed the match well for most of the evening, but the defensive organisation and concentration required to see out stoppage time were tested once Pakistan began sending more direct balls into the area.
Bhat’s brace was the match’s defining individual contribution. His movement across the last line and the timing of his runs repeatedly gave India a route into dangerous positions. Suryavanshi’s pass for the second goal and Kipgen’s run for the third also showed how India used midfield possession to attack the space behind Pakistan’s defenders. The three-goal first-half lead was not the product of isolated chances alone; it came from repeated penetration through the central and left channels.
Pakistan will take some encouragement from the response, although the missed penalty and the three-goal deficit left them with too much to recover. Their late goals showed that India could be unsettled when deliveries were played into the box, but the comeback did not erase the problems Pakistan had faced for much of the first half. The match therefore offered both teams a different lesson: India need to manage the final phase more calmly, while Pakistan must avoid allowing opponents to build such a large early advantage.
India are competing in Dhaka with a squad assembled for the SAFF tournament while the main senior team has a separate international programme. The Indian Express reported that only 18 players were available for the SAFF assignment, with the main team preparing for away friendlies against New Zealand on November 12 and 15 in Auckland and Christchurch. That split gives the regional competition an additional selection dimension, as players in Dhaka have an opportunity to demonstrate their readiness for future senior-team assignments.
The All India Football Federation’s match account identified the starting group led by captain Bijoy Varghese and described how India built their attacks through the midfield. The team’s ability to establish a three-goal lead without relying on a full-strength senior squad will be a positive for the coaching staff, but the late Pakistan goals also show why the group must maintain discipline across the full 90 minutes rather than judge a performance only by its strongest spell.
India entered the competition as defending champions and are seeking a record-extending 10th SAFF title. The group stage is short, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semi-finals. India’s next Group B fixture is against the Maldives on November 11, again at the National Stadium in Dhaka. A win in the opener provides a useful start, but goal difference, discipline and the ability to close out matches can become important if teams finish level on points.
For Pakistan, the defeat leaves the side needing a strong response in its remaining group match if it is to remain in contention. The late recovery may offer confidence, but the team will have to improve the way it handles opponents who press through midfield and attack the space behind the defensive line. Its missed penalty before the break was another turning point in a match where the first half proved decisive.
For India, the immediate task is to recover, review the two stoppage-time concessions and prepare for the Maldives. The opening win is valuable, particularly in a regional tournament where every point affects the path to the knockout rounds. The performance also gave Bhat and Kipgen a chance to place themselves in the conversation for wider selection, while reminding the squad that a commanding lead remains provisional until the final whistle.