Pakistan vs India SAFF: young India win 3-2 as Suhail Bhat scores twice
By Aarav DeshpandeSports Correspondent, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: tylebongda79 / Pixabay
A young India side under Naushad Moosa beat Pakistan 3-2 in the SAFF Championship opener in Dhaka on 5 November 2026; Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice.
What Happened
India's young SAFF Championship side beat Pakistan 3-2 in their Group B opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, 5 November 2026, holding off two Pakistan goals in stoppage time. Forward Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice in the first half and India led 3-0 by the 31st minute, before Najeeb Ullah and Alamgir Ghazi pulled goals back late on. The squad, picked by India under-23 head coach Naushad Moosa, is built largely around younger players while the senior team prepares separately.
Key Facts
- Result: India 3, Pakistan 2, SAFF Championship 2026, Group B, National Stadium, Dhaka, 5 November 2026.
- India's scorers: Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice, the first in the 19th minute; India's third goal came in the 31st minute (reports differ on the scorer).
- Pakistan's scorers: Najeeb Ullah and Alamgir Ghazi, both in stoppage time.
- Coach: Naushad Moosa, head coach of India's under-23 men's team, with Bibiano Fernandes as assistant, according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
- Squad: 28 players named for the tournament, which runs in Dhaka from 5 to 17 November 2026.
- Make-up: one football website described it as a second-string side made up mostly of under-23 players and a few recently left out of the senior team.
- Next: India's remaining group match is against the Maldives, due the following Wednesday, according to match reports.
Why It Matters
India are the defending SAFF champions, but they did not bring their first-choice team to Dhaka. The federation has instead used the regional tournament to give younger players competitive international matches, under the coach who runs the under-23 side. A win over Pakistan in the opener is a strong start for that experiment and puts India in a good position in a three-team group.
For the young players, a match like this is valuable experience. The SAFF Championship is the main tournament for South Asian national teams, and India-Pakistan games carry extra attention and pressure. Players who perform here can push for places in the under-23 side and, later, the senior squad.
The match also showed the risks. India were 3-0 up after barely half an hour but conceded twice in added time, which coaches will want to fix before the next game. Closing out matches is a common lesson for inexperienced teams.
Peepals timeline: The AIFF named Naushad Moosa's 28-player squad ahead of the tournament. The championship opened in Dhaka on 5 November 2026, and India played Pakistan the same day: Suhail Ahmad Bhat's goal in the 19th minute put India ahead, India scored a third in the 31st minute, and Pakistan scored twice in stoppage time. India's last group match, against the Maldives, comes next, and the tournament ends on 17 November.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tournament | SAFF Championship 2026, Dhaka, 5 to 17 November |
| India's coach | Naushad Moosa (India U-23 head coach) |
| Opening result | India 3-2 Pakistan, 5 November |
| India's two-goal scorer | Suhail Ahmad Bhat |
| Next group opponent | Maldives |
Impact
Short-term: The win gives India three points from their first group match and a strong chance of reaching the knockout stage if they avoid defeat against the Maldives.
Long-term: If several young players impress over the tournament, they could move into the under-23 team's core and add depth to the national team pool.
Who is affected: Young Indian footballers in the squad and their clubs; the AIFF and the national team coaches watching for future talent; and Indian football fans following the defending champions.
What to watch next: India's group match against the Maldives, and the tournament's knockout stage before the final round ends on 17 November.
Key Takeaway
A young India side coached by Naushad Moosa beat Pakistan 3-2 in Dhaka on 5 November 2026, with Suhail Ahmad Bhat scoring twice, before holding off a late Pakistan fightback.
Questions and Answers
What was the result of India vs Pakistan at the SAFF Championship 2026?
India won 3-2 in their Group B opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka on 5 November 2026. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice, and Pakistan scored both their goals in stoppage time.
Is this India's senior football team?
Not the first-choice side. The squad of 28 was picked by Naushad Moosa, India's under-23 head coach, and is built mostly around younger players, according to reports.
Who did India play next in the group?
The Maldives, in India's remaining Group B match.
When does the SAFF Championship 2026 end?
The tournament runs in Dhaka from 5 to 17 November 2026, according to the AIFF.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Aarav Deshpande, Sports CorrespondentCovers Sports and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Aarav Deshpande
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Aarav Deshpande is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
