Desk Report:
How can there not be drama in the Bangladesh-India final? Bangladesh wrote the story of coming back from behind twice in a great way. But that nervousness; which has always been a big difference between the two teams. Today, the same story was repeated.
India won the U-17 Championship title by defeating Bangladesh 4-1 in a tiebreaker at the Racecourse Stadium in Colombo. The scheduled 90-minute game ended in a 2-2 draw. Ikramul Islam and Azam Khan could not score for Bangladesh in the tiebreaker. Ikramul’s shot hit the bar, but Azam Khan was stopped by Indian goalkeeper Jyoti Barua.
Earlier, in a game that was full of attacks and counterattacks, Bangladesh suffered a setback in the fourth minute. Gunlaiba Wangheirakpam’s extended ball from the left wing hit the feet of the Bangladeshi defender and fortunately went to Dallalmuyon Gangt in the box. The opportunistic forward made no mistake in sending the ball into the net.
Bangladesh equalized in the 25th minute by smashing the Indian defense. Azam Khan headed a corner taken by captain Nazmul Huda Faisal to the left post. From there, Mohammad Manik headed the ball across the goal line. After crossing the goal line, Sabbir also touched the ball and it went into the net, but Manik’s name went to the goal book.
After equalizing, Bangladesh tried to put more pressure on India. In the 29th minute, Faisal’s corner was punched back, but Indian goalkeeper Jyoti Barua could not clear the danger. Apu Rahman’s header from inside the box hit the post. In the 33rd minute, Mohammad Arif’s long-range shot was saved by the Indian goalkeeper in exchange for a corner.
India took the lead again in the 38th minute. Gunlaiba advanced brilliantly along the left edge and delivered a wonderful cross. Bangladesh goalkeeper Alif Rahman tried to turn it back. But Azlan Shah got the ball back. His left-footed shot hit Bangladesh’s Ikramul Islam and went into the net.
After the break, luck again stood in the way of Bangladesh’s goal in the 51st minute. Captain Faisal’s shot hit the bar and he was disappointed. After that, Bangladesh started playing. India was not getting the opportunity to attack in that way. However, they tried to keep the pressure on in the end. In the 87th minute, Gangt’s 30-yard shot was saved by the Bangladesh goalkeeper for a corner. From that corner, an Indian footballer’s header hit the bar.
Finally, Bangladesh found parity in the sixth minute of added time. Sabbir Islam’s extended long throw was tangled in the box. Ihsan Habib came forward from a little distance and shook the net with a placing shot. The match went to a tiebreaker. Where Gangte, Korou Meiti, Indra Rana and Shubham Punia scored for India. Manik scored for Bangladesh, but it was not enough.
At the U-17 level, the title remained elusive for Bangladesh. They lost to India in the semi-finals in 2022 and in the final in 2024.
