Pakistan 0-2 Bangladesh, SAFF U20 Championship: Ronan Sullivan Dazzles With Stunning Free-Kick Goal - Watch

Bangladesh made a commanding start to their SAFF U20 Championship 2026 campaign with a comprehensive 2-0 win over Pakistan at the National Stadium in Male, Maldives on Tuesday (March 24, 2026). The Junior Tigers rode forward Ronan Benjamin Sullivan's twin goals to take the early lead in Group B.

Sullivan, all of 18, made a fantastic debut for Bangladesh, leaving fans breathless with a stunning free-kick to open scoring in the 54th minute. The Red and Greens were rewarded for their dominance all through the first half and after that will a free-kick, around 25 yards from goal. The United States-born Sullivan converted the setpiece with a brilliant right-footed strike that curled into the far corner of the Pakistan goal past custodian Kashif.

You can watch the video of the spectacular strike below:

The teenager found his second goal in the 67th minute, heading a smart cross easily into the back of the net. That was when Bangladesh's victory appeared near-certain as they did not give the Green Shirts any chance of a comeback.

There was a moment in between the goals, however, when Pakistan appeared to have equalised. Najeeb Ullah responded to a pinpoint cross into the Bangladesh box with a leaping header that beat the Junior Tigers goalie Ismail Hossain in the 60th minute.

But the referee deemed it to be a foul on Hossain, perhaps thinking there was an elbow from Najeeb on Ismail when he jumped to head it in. Replays seemed to show otherwise, but the goal stood disallowed.

Bangladesh emerged victors to go on top in Group B and take a solid step towards the semi-finals. The Green Shirts, meanwhile, face a do-or-die scenario going into the blockbuster match against arch-rivals India on March 26.