'We finally got it': Bangladesh break India jinx to lift SAFF U-20 title

Bangladesh finally broke the jinx against India in finals to clinch the title of the SAFF Under-20 Championship with a 4-3 win in the penalty shootout after the regulation time ended in a goalless draw at the National Stadium in Male, Maldives yesterday.

US-based forward Ronan Sullivan delivered the winning penalty, applying the famous panenka technique to deceive the Indian goalkeeper Suraj Singh, who leapt to his right only to see Ronan gently chipping the ball into the net, followed by wild celebrations of Bangladeshi players and the expatriate fans.

Interestingly, the score line was almost a repeat of the final of the 2025 edition where India beat Bangladesh 4-3 in the shootout after the regulation time produced a 1-1 draw. But this time, Ronan and Co turned the tables.

“I had been waiting for this title for the last four years and we finally got it,” said captain Mithu Chowdhury, thanking the expatriate spectators for their tremendous support throughout the championship.

Before Ronan made the final his own with a penalty kick that will go down as an iconic moment in the country’s football history, it was Bangladesh goalkeeper Ismail Hossain Mahin who set the tone of the shootout by diving to his right to stop India’s first shot taken by Rishi Singh.

“It was an incredible feeling after stopping the first shot because I thought I protected the dream of 20 crore people of the country,” said Mahin in a video message sent by BFF.

Bangladesh’s first three takers Murshed Ali, Chandon Roy and Abdul Riyad Fahim converted from the spot but Samuel Raksam, following a break in flow caused by Indian goalkeeper’s sudden cramp injury, hit the crossbar, leaving the shootout locked at 3-3.

India, however, failed to grasp the opportunity as Omang Dodum, named the most valuable player of the tournament, drove the ball miles of the target, setting the stage for Ronan, who made history.

Friday’s final was keenly contested with both sides neck-on-neck throughout the 90 minutes, though India had the edge in terms of creating chances.

Bangladesh coach Mark Cox, who stood at the dugout in the final after his semifinal suspension, made one change to the starting XI that beat Nepal 1-0 in the semifinal by drafting defender Abdul Riyad Fahim in place of Sani Das.

Both sides started cautiously, however, it was India who launched the first attack when Md Arbash headed wide a well-judged cross from Rohen Singh in the fourth minute.

Bangladesh also came close to breaking the deadlock but captain Mithu narrowly missed the far post with a header off a Ronan free kick in the 14th minute.

Four minutes later, Murshed released a nice low cross for Ronan but the forward was a bit late to the ball.

The ball was mostly confined to the midfield in the first half with both sides busy on clearances instead of keeping the ball on the ground.

After resumption, India put a lot pressure on the Bangladesh backline, which held strong. India twice came close to scoring the winning goal in the final minutes, but both efforts went wide.

After regulation time, the match went down to a shootout, where Bangladesh regained their title.

Previously, Bangladesh, who lifted their maiden trophy in 2024 beating Nepal in the final, had failed to beat India in the regional youth championship finals in 2019, 2022 and 2025.