Published : 06 Nov 2026, 12:33 AM
Updated : 06 Nov 2026, 12:33 AM
Bangladesh began their SAFF Championship campaign with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Bhutan in Dhaka, substitute Mohammad Ibrahim coming off the bench to settle a largely one-sided contest with a crisp volley.
Thursday’s win at the National Stadium marked Bangladesh’s first step towards reclaiming a title they last lifted in 2003.
It also extended their dominance over Bhutan in the competition, with seven victories and one draw from eight meetings.
Bangladesh made an assured start and came close to breaking the deadlock in the eighth minute.
Faisal Ahmed Fahim’s first attempt was blocked, but he gathered the rebound and forced goalkeeper Gyeltshen Zangpo into a sharp save.
Zangpo was soon called into action again, keeping out Bishwanath Ghosh, whom coach Thomas Dooley had surprisingly deployed as a makeshift centre-forward. The right-back later sent a header wide.
Shamit Shome tested the Bhutan goalkeeper in the 25th minute. From the resulting corner, Bishwanath found space amid a crowded box but volleyed wide of the far post. Another attempt from him drifted off target before the break.
Bangladesh introduced Fahamida Islam for Fahim after half-time. Bhutan looked to threaten on the counter-attack after the restart, but the hosts held firm.
Dooley turned to his bench again in the 63rd minute, replacing captain Jamal Bhuiyan and Bishwanath with Ibrahim and Sohel Rana Jr. The change paid off almost immediately.
Two minutes later, Shamit flicked a long delivery into the box, where a defender’s touch sent it into Ibrahim’s path. The substitute made no mistake, sweeping a precise volley past Zangpo to send the crowd into raptures.
Bangladesh will carry that momentum into their next match against Sri Lanka.
Earlier, India began their campaign by edging Pakistan 3-2, as the record nine-time champions opened their title bid with a win.
