Bhat Brace Leads India Past Pakistan in SAFF Championship Opener
India’s title defence in the SAFF Championship began with a familiar opponent, an unfamiliar squad list, and a nervy finish that nobody saw coming.
With only 17 players available and several ISL regulars still tied to club duty, Naushad Moosa sent out a patched‑up India on Thursday night. For 90 minutes, it looked like they would stroll through anyway. Then stoppage time arrived.
By then, Suhail Ahmad Bhat had already stamped his name all over Group B.
The forward struck twice inside the opening 20 minutes, ripping into a Pakistan back line that never settled. His first came in the 13th minute, a sharp finish that settled any early jitters in the Indian camp. Six minutes later, he doubled the lead, punishing slack defending and giving India a cushion that felt, even that early, decisive.
Pakistan struggled to breathe under the early press. India moved the ball quickly, hunted in packs, and refused to let their rivals build from the back. The pressure told again in the 31st minute when Manglenthang Kipgen joined the scoresheet, making it 3-0 and turning the contest into a statement.
At half-time, India looked every inch the defending champion. Three goals up, dominant, and seemingly cruising despite the thin bench and the off-field frustration of ISL clubs holding back players with the fixture falling outside the FIFA window of November 9 to 17.
Moosa could only name 17 players, yet his side played the first 45 as if at full strength.
The second half, though, carried a different tone. India eased off, the tempo dipped, and Pakistan finally found some rhythm. The defending became more about game management than aggression, more about preserving legs than hunting a fourth goal.
For long stretches, it worked. Pakistan pushed, but India held them at arm’s length, the three-goal cushion absorbing the pressure.
Then came stoppage time, and with it a late twist.
In the first minute of added time, Najeeb Ullah pulled one back, breaking India’s clean sheet and injecting sudden tension into a match that had felt settled for nearly an hour. Three minutes later, Alamgir Ghazi struck again, slicing the deficit to 3-2 and turning the final seconds into a scramble.
What had been a procession suddenly felt like a rescue act. India, from total control, were hanging on.
They did hang on. The whistle arrived as a relief as much as a confirmation: India 3, Pakistan 2. A win, three points, and a reminder that even a dominant performance can fray at the edges if the door is left slightly open.
For Moosa, the night brought mixed emotions. His makeshift squad showed enough quality to rip through Pakistan early and enough composure to survive the late surge. Yet the collapse in concentration at the end will not be ignored, not with tougher assignments looming.
Reinforcements are on the way. ISL clubs are expected to release their players in time for India’s next Group B clash against Maldives on November 11. The bench will be deeper, the options richer, the competition for places sharper.
India have started their SAFF Championship defence with a win over their fiercest rival and a brace from a forward in form. The question now is simple: with a full-strength squad incoming, how much higher can this team push the standard they briefly set in that ruthless first half?
