Bangladesh edge past Bhutan with Ibrahim’s goal

After a long wait for a goal and a series of missed chances, relief finally came through substitute Mohammad Ibrahim.

In the 69th minute, Ibrahim calmly slotted the ball into the net after receiving a header from Shamit Shome. His goal put Bangladesh ahead against Bhutan and ultimately proved decisive.

Bangladesh began their SAFF Championship campaign with a 1–0 victory over Bhutan yesterday. They will face Sri Lanka in their second match at Dhaka's National Stadium on 11 November.

This was Bangladesh's 14th victory over Bhutan across all competitions. Their most recent win before this had come last year, when they defeated Bhutan 2–0.

Bangladesh made no shortage of attempts to score against Bhutan. The hosts were on the attack from the start at the National Stadium.

Bishwanath Ghosh was deployed as the centre-forward, an unfamiliar role for the player who usually features at right-back for the national team, although he has played in seven different positions during his club career.

Bishwanath has played 63 matches at right-back, 34 at centre-back, nine at left-back, two as a left winger and one each in central midfield, right midfield and right wing. However, he had never played as a centre-forward.

He had opportunities to score in his new position but failed to capitalise on them. In the 18th minute, he headed Rakib's cross at the far post, but the ball went wide. Seven minutes later, he failed to find the net despite having a virtually open goal. In the 39th minute, with only Bhutan's goalkeeper in front of him, he again sent his shot off target.

Bangladesh had suffered a setback even before the match began. Captain Topu Barman picked up an injury during the warm-up and was ruled out of the starting XI. Kazem Shah replaced him, while Jamal Bhuiyan took over the captain's armband.

Bhutan also looked for opportunities while absorbing Bangladesh's attacking pressure. However, their attacks lacked sharpness as they repeatedly lost possession in midfield. Bhutan managed their first shot on target in the 40th minute, but Mehedi Hasan kept it out.

After the break, Bangladesh coach Thomas Dooley replaced Faisal Ahmed with Fahamidul Islam. The team's attacking approach also changed slightly. However, their reliance on crosses in the early stages of the second half failed to break down Bhutan's organised defence.

Eventually, Ibrahim broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, finishing Shamit's headed pass.

After falling behind, Bhutan abandoned some of their defensive caution and adopted a more attacking approach. Bangladesh, however, remained alert and repeatedly disrupted their opponents' attacks in midfield. Bhutan never managed to find their way back into the match.

Before the match, the National Stadium had already been buzzing with a festive atmosphere.

Earlier in the day, the final four minutes of the India-Pakistan match provided plenty of excitement. India's Suhail Ahmed also entertained the crowd with a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration after scoring twice. As the excitement from that match continued, a grand opening ceremony got underway ahead of the Bangladesh-Bhutan fixture.

The National Stadium came alive during the nearly hour-long ceremony, featuring fireworks, a laser show and DJ music. The performance by Bangladeshi-origin DJ Sanjoy Dev, who had performed at the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, captivated the spectators.

The SAFF trophy was unveiled 15 minutes before the Bangladesh-Bhutan match. Although unveiling the trophy before the start of a tournament is customary, this time the ceremony took place before the second match on the opening day.

Aminul Haque, goalkeeper of Bangladesh's 2003 SAFF Championship-winning team and the current State Minister for Youth and Sports, unveiled the trophy.