India Edge Pakistan 3-2 Despite Latter's Late Comeback In SAFF Championship 2026 Opener In Dhaka

Defending champions India beat Pakistan 3-2 in their SAFF Championship 2026 opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday.

The win mattered, but the finish raised questions. India, fielding a second-string side, stormed to a 3-0 lead and controlled the game for long spells before conceding twice in stoppage time.

Several India players are tied up with the ongoing ISL, while the senior side is set to face New Zealand during the international break. Even so, the result gave Noushad Moosa’s team a bright opening, though the late collapse dulled it a little.

India's Fast Start

India started sharply. Suhail Ahmed Bhat led the charge up front and Pakistan struggled to contain him early on.

Suhail opened the scoring with a tap-in after a slick team move ended with Mohammed Suhail driving in a low cross. The centre-forward then struck again after India sent him clean through and he calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Yousuf Butt.

Moosa’s side dominated midfield and possession through the first half. India then made it 3-0 when Noufal played Manglenthang Kipgen through, with the midfielder’s run going completely untracked. One-on-one with Butt, Kipgen chipped the ball into goal.

Pakistan's Late Rally

India lost focus. That gave Pakistan a route back, although they failed to take it at first.

Abhishek Suryavanshi lunged at Hayyan Khattak inside the box and conceded a penalty. Shayak Dost wasted the chance by skying his spot-kick.

India’s intensity dropped in the second half, but Nolberto Solano’s Pakistan still created little for most of the game even as they saw more of the ball. The late burst came only after stoppage time began. Najeebullah met a superb cross from Junaid Shah and powered in a header to make it 3-1.

Pakistan then struck again within a couple of minutes. Alamgir Ghazi scored the goal of the match, cushioning the ball with his first touch before slamming home from a narrow angle while turning and falling. After the match, Ghazi said, "the first half was not good. We could have scored [with the penalty]. We were better in the second, but we scored too late."

Asked why Pakistan had not trained on Wednesday, Ghazi said with a smile, "Our luggage was missing, that's why we didn't train." He added that the team’s "hopes are high," before saying, "we must win the second game, because all the players will come in time for the semifinal. We want to beat Maldives"