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In their opening match of the SAFF U20 Championship, India suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Bangladesh at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday (July 2 7).
A first-half brace from Md. Piash Ahmed Nova sunk the Blue Tigers. A lone goal from Gurkirat Singh wasn't enough to save the hosts' blushes.
Both sides looked nervy in the opening exchanges before Bangladesh emerged as the more aggressive side. They stuck to their counter-attacking system and caught India off guard on multiple occasions.
In the 11th minute, Bangladesh unlocked the Indian defense but were unlucky to hit the frame. Forward Ahmed Nova pounced on a long ball and tried to chip it past the onrushing Indian goalkeeper. However, the ball ricocheted off the post back into play.
Bangladesh didn't take long to break the deadlock. The visitors sent a ball upfield, which deflected off an Indian defender. The ball fell kindly for Md. Piash Ahmed Nova, who went around the defenders and buried the ball into the open net.
Another chance cropped up for Bangladesh soon after through Moinul Islam, who failed to direct his header into the back of the net off a cross from the right. The defending champions soon roared back into the game.
After winning a freekick in the 35th minute, Vibin Mohan sent in a cross to the center of the opposition box. Gurkirat Singh rose the highest to bury the ball home with a thumping header.
With the scoreline leveled, the hosts were on the front foot and looked likely to take the lead. However, just seconds before the first-half whistle, the referee found Tankadhar Bag guilty of pulling down Md. Nahian inside the box and awarded a penalty to Bangladesh.
Nova, filled with confidence after his first strike, stepped up to take the penalty and buried his effort from the spot. Thanks to two goals from the 16-year-old, the visitors headed into the break with a narrow lead.
India's efforts to restore parity in second half were in vain
Coming out after the break, India continued to push forward and find an elusive equalizer. However, most of their half attempts didn't pay dividends. In an attempt to introduce fresh legs, head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh used up all his substitutions by the 70th minute.
Although India enjoyed a lot of possession, they failed to break down a stubborn rival defense.
Substitute Taison Singh had India's final opportunity in extra time when he trapped the ball at the edge of the box and dribbled past a few defenders. However, the defense quickly recovered to deny him.
India will now play Sri Lanka on July 29 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
