Bhutan’s fate unchanged after 18 years as India reach final

The year was 2008. In the SAFF Championship semi-final in Male, Bhutan lost 2–1 to India, missing out on a place in the final. Eighteen years later, the two sides met again in the last four of the tournament.

Time has passed and the competition has moved to a different level, but the result remained unchanged. India once again secured a 2–1 victory to reach the final, while Bhutan suffered another semi-final exit.

India booked their place in the final by beating Bhutan in the first semi-final at Dhaka’s National Stadium today, Saturday. Although India came to this edition with a second-string side, they have continued their march towards the title.

India’s dominance in the SAFF Championship is nothing new. Including this edition, they have participated in the tournament 15 times and reached the final on 14 occasions.

They have won the title nine times and finished runners-up four times. Their only other finish was third place in 2003. In 2009, they also won the championship in Bangladesh with an Olympic team.

India started aggressively against Bhutan today. They took the lead in the ninth minute through a goal by Bishnu. Defender Chinglensana Singh doubled the advantage in the 28th minute. Conceding two early goals put Bhutan under considerable pressure. They subsequently focused more on attacking but failed to break through India's solid defence in the first half.

Bhutan managed just one shot on target from three attempts in the first 45 minutes. India, meanwhile, had four shots, three of which were on target. India were clearly superior in both possession and attacking play in the first half.

Bhutan, however, attempted to fight back after the break. They scored just two minutes into the second half. In the 47th minute, Chencho's shot came back off the post, and Kinzaang Tashi headed the rebound into the net.

Referee Munir Alkatiri initially ruled the goal out for offside. However, following protests from Bhutan's players, he turned to VAR. After reviewing the footage, the referee overturned his initial decision and awarded the goal.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is being used for the first time in SAFF Championship history. The technology is available for both semi-finals and the final. In the 66th minute, the referee awarded Bhutan a penalty against India, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review.

After reducing the deficit to 2–1, Bhutan grew increasingly desperate to find an equaliser. They created several good opportunities in the final half-hour but could not find the goal they needed. India eventually walked off with a 2–1 victory.