India reaches SAFF final, beating Bhutan

For the first time on Bangladeshi soil, the use of the Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, was seen in football at the semifinal of the SAFF Championship. In the match against India, the linesman raised his flag on Bhutan's Kinzang Tobden's goal. But the referee, with the help of VAR, reviewed the decision and changed it to signal a goal. Apart from this important incident, nothing very dramatic happened in the first semifinal. India beat Bhutan 2-1 and reached the final once again.

India took the lead in the eighth minute through Nikhil Pradhan's goal. About twenty minutes after the first goal, in the 28th minute, Chinglesana Singh scored to double the margin. India went into halftime leading 2-0.
The referee taking VAR assistance. Agamir Somoy photo.

At the start of the second half, in the 48th minute of the match, Bhutan pulled a goal back. Although the linesman raised his flag on Tobden's goal from a scramble, the goal stood after the video referee's decision. Both teams had chances to score in the remaining time of the match. But the ball did not find the net again. Especially towards the end, Bhutan failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities to equalize. India, who have played 13 finals, have reached the final once again. Their opponents will be the winner of the Bangladesh-Pakistan match.

After the match, Indian coach Noushad Musa's voice carried a tone of self-criticism. Speaking about the two different styles of football in the two halves, he said, "I think the way we played in the first half, we could have played the same way in the second half too. It was very important to score from the chances we created in the first half. Otherwise, the task becomes difficult. When the margin is one goal, it always creates a problem."