India beat Pakistan 3-2 in SAFF Championship 2026 Group B opener

India defeated Pakistan 3-2 in their Group B opener of the SAFF Championship 2026 at the National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with Suhail Ahmad Bhat scoring twice and Manglenthang Kipgen adding the third; Pakistan pulled two late goals through Najeeb Ullah and Alamgir Ghazi in stoppage time but could not salvage a point.

India opened the match by building from the back with Abhishek Suryavanshi deployed in a deep midfield role and initially edged the contest in the first half; Bhat had an offside goal ruled out in the 12th minute before converting from a Muhammad Suhail assist a minute later to make it 1-0. Suryavanshi moved further forward as Pakistan retreated and played a line-breaking pass that allowed Bhat to score his second in the 19th minute, and India extended their lead to 3-0 in the 31st minute when Noufal PN set up Manglenthang Kipgen for a finish past goalkeeper Yousuf Butt.

Pakistan earned a penalty when Suryavanshi brought down Hayyaan Khattak inside the area, but Shayak Dost sent the spot-kick over the crossbar and India kept their three-goal cushion. Bhat nearly completed a first-half hat-trick in the 45th minute with a left-footed effort from outside the box that went narrowly wide, leaving Butt rooted to the spot.

The second half saw India create further chances without increasing the scoreline; Adison Singh Thokchom was denied by Butt in a one-on-one, while Kipgen and Farukh had attempts that failed to trouble the goalkeeper. Naushad Moosa’s side were unable to add to their first-half tally as the match progressed.

Pakistan reduced the deficit in stoppage time when Junaid Shah crossed from the left in the 91st minute and Najeeb Ullah headed home past Arsh Anwer Shaikh. Three minutes later McKeal Abdullah delivered from the right and Alamgir Ghazi controlled the ball before finishing with an acrobatic effort to make the score 3-2.

With the win India sit top of Group B on three points with a goal difference of +1, while Pakistan occupy the bottom slot with zero points and a goal difference of -1; the top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.

India will face Maldives in their final Group B fixture on November 11 at 15:00 at the National Stadium in Dhaka.