IND v BAN, SAFF U-20 Championship – How and why did India lose to Bangladesh in the final?

The rivalry between India and Bangladesh, at least at the age group level within the men’s and women’s teams, has been heated in recent years.

The latest chapter in this rivalry was Friday’s SAFF Under-20 Men’s Championship final, which saw the Bengal Tigers beat the Blue Colts 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the top-flight match ended goalless in regulation time.

In front of a partisan crowd that favored Bangladesh, Ningthoukhongjam Rishi Singh and Omang Dodum perhaps succumbed to nerves and squandered their chances from the spot.

A nonchalant panenka from Ronan Sullivan sealed the deal for Bangladesh, sending the dugout into a frenzy and the Indian into despair.

The momentum continued to swing like a pendulum throughout regulation time. In the first half, India dominated possession, while Bangladesh, after showing intent in the first fifteen minutes, relied more on counter-attacks.

While India, the defending champions, created more chances, the finish never came. Vishal Yadav and Dodum, otherwise clinical in the run-up to the final, appeared to have left their scoring boots at home.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, enjoyed a purple patch in the final minutes of the half, sending crosses from the flanks, but the Indian backline held firm.

In the second half the pace dropped slightly, perhaps due to fatigue. Yet India continued to dictate play and create chances, but a clinical finish remained elusive.

Bangladesh had their best chance to grab a late winner in stoppage time when Ronan, along with his brother Declan, tried to slot the ball through the legs of an onrushing Suraj Singh.

But the Indian goalkeeper did enough to force the match into a shootout, with Bangladesh having the last laugh.

While some may argue that a penalty shootout involves an element of luck, the course of the match was determined by other factors.

Lack of replacements

During the match, Mahesh Gawli – who is also assistant coach to Khalid Jamil in the senior men’s team – opted to make just one substitution.

He brought on Rishi for Rohen Singh in the 73rd minute as goalkeeper Suraj Singh, struggling with his fitness, was forced to continue. Scrolling through the Indian football team’s X-post on the loss, it becomes clear how the Indian faithful reacted to the defeat.

Suraj’s troubles started in the 29th minute when he went down grimly after landing awkwardly while trying to catch the ball. The game was stopped again in the 65th minute when he required medical attention, with medics massaging his right thigh.

In contrast, Bangladesh’s Nazmul Faysal, who was stretchered off the field, was promptly replaced by Declan Sullivan.

During the shootout, with the score at 3-3, Suraj went down again, holding his right thigh. By then it was too late.

A hasty appointment

Gawli’s appointment also seemed hasty.

The AIFF technical committee advised him “to oversee the transition of players from junior to senior level”, and he took charge just a week before the tournament, filling a role that had lacked continuity for the past two years.

In late 2024, Ranjan Chaudhari led the team in the failed AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, and Biby Thomas oversaw the squad at the Mandiri U-20 Challenge in Indonesia in early 2025.

A case could have been made for Bibiano Fernandes, the current coach of the U-17 men’s team, who had worked with a majority of these players during the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup.

Going abroad

Bangladesh hired Irish coach Mark Cox as an advisor for this tournament, but efforts to strengthen the squad had begun months earlier.

The US-born Sullivan twins, Ronan and Declan, who were eligible to represent Bangladesh through their grandmother, had already been brought into the system as part of an effort to include foreign-based players.

Both brothers are part of the Philadelphia Union Academy in the United States, with Declan on loan for Delco Academy.

“We had mentioned earlier that we are working on several players of Bangladeshi origin,” Bangladesh Football Federation vice-president Fahad Karim said via a video message on his Facebook page.

Their participation did wonders for Bangladesh, with Ronan scoring a brace against Pakistan in the SAFF Championship opener in Bangladesh and then converting the decisive penalty against India.

Their actions are part of a growing movement in Bangladesh football, following Premier League-proven midfielder Hamza Choudhary’s decision to switch his allegiance to the Bengal Tigers.

As a result, the BFF conducted a trial called “BFF Next Global Star,” where expats from different countries showed up last June.

India’s penalty loss was an impact that will haunt the Blue Colts for some time. But the business had been building long before that.

Published on April 4, 2026