India secured a 3-2 victory over Pakistan in their SAFF Championship 2026 opener at Dhaka’s National Stadium on Thursday. The defending champions, who fielded a second-string side due to first-team commitments against New Zealand and Indian Super League schedules, appeared to have a comfortable win secured before a late Pakistan fightback created a tense finish.
India dominated the first half, controlling possession and the midfield to build a three-goal lead. Suhail Ahmed Bhat opened the scoring after a well-worked move saw Mohammed Suhail deliver a low cross for him to tap home. Bhat then doubled the advantage by calmly slotting the ball past Pakistan goalkeeper Yousuf Butt after being sent through on goal. The lead reached 3-0 when Noufal played Manglenthang Kipgen through with a pass that split the defense, allowing the midfielder to run untracked and chip the advancing Butt.
Pakistan, coached by Nolberto Solano, struggled to threaten India until the closing stages despite having more of the ball after the break. India's complacency nearly allowed Pakistan to equalize when Abhishek Suryavanshi brought down Hayyan Khattak inside the penalty area, but Shayak Dost sent his spot-kick high over the crossbar.
The momentum shifted in stoppage time when Najeebullah headed in a Junaid Shah cross to make it 3-1. Minutes later, Alamgir Ghazi scored a second goal, controlling the ball with a first touch before turning and firing home from a tight angle while falling to the ground.
Alamgir Ghazi stated that Pakistan struggled in the first half but improved after the interval, noting, “The first half was not good. We could have scored [with the penalty]. We were better in the second, but we scored too late.” Ghazi also explained that the team did not train on Wednesday because their luggage had gone missing, saying, “Our luggage was missing, that’s why we didn’t train.”
Despite the loss, Ghazi said Pakistan's hopes remain high and emphasized the need to win their next match against the Maldives to ensure all players are available for the semifinal. “We must win the second game, because all the players will come in time for the semifinal. We want to beat Maldives,” he said.
