SAFF U17 Championship 2024: India pip Bangladesh to complete title defense

The Blue Colts registered two goals without reply to take home the trophy.

India’s stranglehold over the SAFF U-17 championship remained unscathed when they retained the title defeating Bangladesh 2-0 in the final of the 2024 edition at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, on Monday, September 30, 2024.

After a barren first half, Rajasthan’s Mohammed Kaif, a product of Udaipur-based Zinc Football Academy, put India ahead with a beauty of a header in the 58th minute. Whatever challenges Bangladesh were left with, Mohammed Arbash finished off with a stinging left-footer in the 90+5 minutes.

Indian boys called the shot from the beginning, but it is never easy to find the target against a team, who refuse to show interest in taking the ball ahead and take to the pitch with an utmost defensive mindset. It happened with the Blue Colts today. The Indians found their road blocked by a jungle of legs whenever they managed to carry the ball into the opposition’s half.

In such a scenario, set pieces remain the last resort and it helped the Indians too. In the 58th minute came India’s first goal from a corner kick. Skipper Ngamgouhou Mate should be credited for keeping the ball in the six-yard box and yet out of the goalkeeper’s reach.

Mohammed Kaif, who failed to touch the ball at the goalmouth in crucial times on a few occasions earlier, didn’t repeat the same mistake again. His accurate header, a delicate flick rather, left little chance for Bangladesh custodian Nahidul Islam to react.  

Not that Bangladesh was disheartened. In fact, the lead taken by India forced them to react positively and come out of their shells. It nearly brought a result in the 67th minute when goalkeeper Aheibam Suraj Singh had to come out of his charge to avert a situation that had a goal written all over.  

The Blue Colts persevere till the end and run out as SAFF U-17 Championship 2024 winners 🥇🏆🥳#IndianFootball  #BlueColts pic.twitter.com/ujfOU6wkRR

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 30, 2024

To the delight of the goodly spectators at the stadium, the Blue Colts were not ready to sit on the slender lead and carry the day with it. They looked eager to make it more emphatic and kept on their attacking posture. It turned the game interesting.  

India were rewarded for their persistence in the 90+5 minutes when the ball reached Arbash inside the box. He didn’t wait and fired a left-footer that crashed against the net to ensure the Blue Colts travel back to India with the winners’ trophy.  

The first half was a repeat show of India’s group league match against Bangladesh. While the Indian boys attacked relentlessly, their rivals packed the defence with half a dozen men and preferred to play the waiting game. Only once in the entire 45 minutes, Bangladesh came anywhere near the Indian goal; it was a move on the break and the cross at the goalmouth was intercepted in time by goalkeeper Suraj Singh.

India, on the other hand, was on the move from the word go; through the right, left, and middle. They opened up the Bangladesh goalmouth time and again, but their lack of finishing touches was clear every time the ball traveled in the goalmouth. All the Indian strikers were right there, but none of them could rise to the occasion when it came to decision-making moments.

India U-17: Aheibam Suraj Singh (GK); Karish Soram, Brahmacharimayum Sumit Sharma, Mohammed Kaif, Yaipharemba Chingakham; Md Arbash, Ngamgouhou Mate (C), Levis Zangminlun; Ahongshangbam Samson (Manbhakupur Malngiang, 68’), Bharat Lairenjam (Hemneichung Lunkim, 87’), Vishal Yadav (N Rishi Singh, 87’).

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