India vs Bangladesh Player Ratings: Sanan impresses; Rahul Bheke & Rahim Ali disappoint

Bangladesh won their first match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Bangladesh National Football Team clinched a historic 1-0 victory against the Indian National Football Team in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on November 18, 2025, at the National Stadium, Dhaka.

Bangladesh were a yard ahead of the Blue Tigers right from the first minute, and this paid instant dividends for the hosts as they broke the deadlock in the 11th minute. The Blue Tigers took an offensive throw-in where the defenders attacked, creating space in the defence.

This was properly capitalised and punished by Bangladesh, as they initiated an accelerated counterattack and found the back of the net, courtesy of Shekh Morsalin.

There goes the final whistle! India succumbed to yet another disappointing loss in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against Bangladesh! #IndianFootball #indianfootballteam #BlueTigers pic.twitter.com/uC649r1BGC

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) November 18, 2025

Later, the Bengal Tigers completely dominated the Blue Tigers and did not allow them to create any chance to score or equalise. Bangladesh etched a famous victory in their history, beating India 1-0 at Dhaka.

India Player Ratings (by Niranjan R Prabhu)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 5/10

Gurpreet was just a spectator when Bangladesh broke the deadlock, as he failed to claim the ball effectively. From then on, Bangladesh continued to attack with some long-range shots. However, their struggle to register a shot on target meant that Gurpreet did not have much to do other than initiate build-ups and provide some distributions, where he did well.

Akash Mishra – 3/10

Akash Mishra was beaten on the run when Bangladesh launched their counterattack in the 11th minute, leading to India conceding the early opener.

Many times during the game, he was outplayed due to the opponent’s speed. Later, Akash almost gifted the Bengal Tigers with their second goal, but was somehow able to prevent them from doing so.

Anwar Ali – 5/10

Was average in the back. Played decently in the back, did well to resist the opponents from scoring more goals. He was not challenged much for the match, but whenever he was put to the test, he did well. Could have done better in some instances. However, while comparing with his fellow defenders, his performance was better.

Sandesh Jhingan – 4/10

Jhingan was nowhere near the defensive third when Bangladesh scored the opener. The defender went deep into the attack and was unable to display pace and retreat to defend the ball.

Later, the player lacked the intent and desire and was unable to provide value addition to the Blue Tigers. Committed an unintentional handball offence in the 81st minute, which luckily was not called a penalty.

Rahul Bheke – 3/10

Rahul Bheke was struggling for the vast majority of the match against the Bengal Tigers. In defense, the player left gaps, which the opponents effectively exploited. Bheke took responsibility for taking long throw-ins but still failed to make an impact.

Attempted to provide some crosses into the box, but almost all of the shots lacked the proper weight. Got a chance to find the back of the net, but was saved on the goal line. In the last minute, he defended well in a 1v1 situation with the opponent striker.

Macarton Nickson – 4/10

Presses well and forced an error from the opponents in the final third and provided a brilliant pass to Chhangte, which was arguably crafted as one of the best opportunities for the Blue Tigers to find the equaliser. Displayed a patchy performance and had his ups and downs in the match. Was subbed off in the second half after a rather disappointing performance.

Nikhil Prabhu – 5/10

The midfielder was very versatile and physical, making some good tackles and challenges to win the ball back from the opponents. Nikhil took responsibility to pass the ball around and provide some good deliveries when the Blue Tigers were struggling.

Won some duels, made a couple of interceptions, and was pretty sharp. Was one of the brightest sparks for India in the first half, but was surprisingly subbed off just after the break.

Suresh Singh – 3/10

Suresh did not have the best hour on the pitch during the first half. Rather than making a run centrally when Bangladesh counterattacked, he chased the ball, which backfired. Was not involved in the match and did not have a significant impact. In the second half, Suresh provided a decent free kick, which, however, was not connected properly by Bheke.

Vikram Partap Singh – 6/10

Vikram looked very strong on the ball and was probably one of the only players who displayed good intent for the Blue Tigers. Played his heart out for the team and demonstrated an unmatched workload, covering every blade of grass in the final third.

Vikram was the sole player who kept knocking on the Bengal Tigers’ door to keep them alert in the backline. Made some good dribbles, provided good passes to his teammates, and did his best for the team. However, the lack of support meant that Vikram was unable to register a goal at Dhaka.

Rahim Ali – 3/10

Rahim Ali was not involved for the vast majority of the minutes involved in the match. Whenever the player had the ball, he was outmuscled by the Bangladeshi defence. Rahim was left lonely in the final third as none of his teammates were able to provide a good delivery to the striker, which he could connect with and score. Apart from conceding some fouls, his contributions remained relatively minimal.

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 3/10

Chhangte got an excellent opportunity to find the opener for India in the first half. The Bangladeshi keeper committed an error, gifting the player with an open goal to score the equaliser, which, to the dismay of the Blue Tigers, was blocked by Hamza, one of his worst performances in recent times. Was substituted off the pitch early in the second half.

Substitutes

Mahesh Singh Naorem – 5/10

Mahesh came in just after the break as the substitute for Nikhi Prabhu. The player initiated some offensive moves, but was unable to provide a precisely tailored pass in the final third. Made some good switchovers, and could have contributed much better for the team if started earlier.

Brison Fernendes – 4/10

Was lurking in the penalty box to add to the work of the opponent defenders, but was unable to connect and control the ball.

Mohammed Sanan – 6.5/10

Sanan was impressive in the match as he injected the long-lost attacking intent of the Blue Tigers. Looked exceptional with his on-the-ball movements, whipped in some teasing crosses from the left flank, and tested the keeper multiple times with his shots on target. However, later he was shifted to the right and did not contribute as much.

Edmund – N/A

Fanai – N/A

Bangladesh Player Ratings (by Saikat Sengupta)

Mitul Marma – 8/10

Marma did an excellent job of keeping a clean sheet against India tonight. From pulling those magnificent saves in the second half to keeping his nerves, Marma’s heroics helped the home side clinch a win.

Topu Barman – 7/10

Topu was shown a yellow card after a face-off with Vikram after he lost the challenge. Despite that card, he did well in the first half to safeguard the clean sheet.

Tariq Raihan – 7/10

A decent performance from Tariq saw Bangladesh hold India to a 1-0 win at home. He was solid at the back and was composed in nervy situations.

Saad Uddin – 7.5/10

Saad, in defence, has been a solid force to reckon with. The crowd was behind him, cheering him throughout the game as Bangladesh led 1-0 at halftime.

Zayyan Ahmed – 7/10

Zayyan also had a good game tonight. He made those interceptions and clearances at the right time to protect that slender one-goal lead.

Sohel Rana – 6.5/10

An average performance in the middle of the park from the Bangladeshi captain, who failed to make more of the creative attacks from the wings.

Hamza Choudhury – 9/10

No wonder Hamza’s arrival was so anticipated. Bangladesh’s focal point in the midfield, Hamza, did everything to keep Bangladesh in the first half. From that strike that almost became a goal to that headed clearance, he was the best player tonight.

Shamit Shome – 7/10

Another decent performance from Shamit as Bangladesh did well to dominate possessions throughout the game.

Md Foysal – 7/10

Foysal did well, but must have kept the attack going to net that second goal and seal the fate of the game early on.

Shekh Morsalin – 8/10

The man who made no mistake to beat Gurpreet made full use of the chance and put Bangladesh ahead in the game early on.

Rakib Hossain – 8.5/10

Rakib gave one of the finest assists for Bangladesh tonight. Nobody saw that goal coming from that quick counterattack, but Rakib’s mind-blowing assist did the unthinkable.

Substitutes

Tajuddin – 7.5/10

Shayriar Emon – 7/10

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