What happened when India played Bangladesh last time?

India’s last meeting against the Red and Green came during the 2021 SAFF Championship.

Ahead of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, India will be looking to carry their winning momentum from their recent 3-0 win over the Maldives. Goals from Rahul Bheke, Liston Colaco and Sunil Chhetri ensured the Blue Tigers enter a crucial run of international fixtures in top form.

The opening Group C encounter will see Manolo Marquez’s men take on coach Javier Cabrera’s Bangladesh football team. A familiar foe that the Blue Tigers have encountered over the years, the Red and Green will present a dangerous challenge.

History has been kind towards the Blue Tigers as they have won four times and drawn five times in nine encounters since 2005. Ahead of their upcoming fixture, let us know look at what happened the last time these two sides met on the field.

The Blue Tigers held off the Bengal Tigers last time

The latest meeting between the sides came during the 2021 SAFF Championship when the Blue Tigers played their opening tournament encounter against the Bengal Tigers. Under then head coach Igor Stimac, India conceded a late goal to only managed a 1-1 draw to kick off their SAFF Championship campaign.

While Sunil Chhetri gave his side the perfect start in the 26th minute after latching onto Udanta Singh’s pass and finishing with aplomb with his right foot, the Bengal Tigers roared back. While the Red and Green went down to 10-men in the 54th minute after Bishwanath Ghosh was sent off, Yeasin Arafat nodded home a late goal in the 74th minute.

A game that ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, Igor Stimac’s side would have been the most disappointed ones after a stalemate in their first game. While the result didn’t help Bangladesh much in terms of progressing further into the tournament, it was a notable result against a significantly better team.

ALSO READ: India vs Bangladesh: All time Head-to-Head record

The Bengal Tigers will be looking to turn draws to wins

The last result against India will give a lot of optimism to a re-energized Bangladesh side which has a lot of promising young talent. The likes of Mohammed Ridoy and Al Amin will be the young players that Cabrera will be relying to spring a surprise result, the addition of a high-profile name in former FA Cup-winning midfielder Hamza Choudhury will be a huge boost.

The 27-year-old midfielder, who is currently playing for Sheffield United FC in the EFL Championship, brings a ton of experience from European football and a player with good defensive qualities. While Choudhury will not be able to single-handedly win Bangladesh the big game, he will be crucial in breaking up play against India.

With a place at the continental tournament in Saudi Arabia at stake, the Bengal Tigers will be hoping to either emulate or surpass their performance from the 2021 SAFF Championships. While Manolo Marquez’s men will be keen to correct the result from the last meeting against the Red and Green, with three crucial points as they kick off their qualification campaign.

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