Bangladesh set for high-stakes showdown with India in SAFF U-20 Championship final
Bangladesh advanced to the SAFF U-20 Championship final after a 1-0 victory over Nepal, courtesy of an early header by MD Manik. They will face India, who secured their spot with a dominant 5-0 win against Bhutan featuring a brace from Rohan Singh. The two sides, who previously drew during the group stage, are scheduled to meet in the grand final this Friday night.
Indian players celebrate after scoring a goal during their semifinal match against Bhutan. | SAFF | SAFF
Bangladesh and India are set to clash in the final of the ongoing SAFF U-20 Championship held in the Maldives.
Bangladesh secured their spot in the final after defeating Nepal in the first semi-final match played at the Galolhu National Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. Bangladesh scored the decisive goal of the match during the first half.
The breakthrough came early in the 11th minute when MD Manik headed home a cross from a corner to give Bangladesh the lead. Although Bangladesh managed to find the back of the net a second time later in the match, the goal was disallowed for offside.
The match saw a massive turnout of Bangladeshi supporters residing in the Maldives, who filled the stadium to cheer for their national team.
In the second semi-final played on Wednesday night, India secured a dominant 5-0 victory over Bhutan. India led by two goals at the end of the first half and added three more in the second half to complete the rout.
Eaman Doon opened the scoring for India in just the 4th minute of the game. Shortly before the conclusion of the first half, MD Arbash doubled the lead for India in the 44th minute.
India continued their offensive pressure in the second half, with Rohan Singh scoring the third goal in the 56th minute. Just a minute later, Rohan found the net again to extend India’s lead to 4-0. The final goal of the match was scored by Thokchom during stoppage time.
The grand final of the SAFF U-20 Championship is scheduled for Friday night. Notably, the two finalists previously met during the group stage of the tournament, which resulted in a draw.
