Daka, Bangladesh: Mohammad Ibrahim came off the bench to rescue Bangladesh from a frustrating start to their TECNO SAFF Championship 2026 campaign, scoring the decisive goal in a narrow 1–0 victory over Bhutan at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday.
The Fortis FC forward, who has been in impressive form in the domestic circuit, made an immediate impact after his introduction, finding the net in the 69th minute, just four minutes after replacing centre-back Bishwanath Ghosh.
Ibrahim finished from close range after Shamit Shome’s header took a slight deflection off a Bhutan defender and fell into his path. The goal finally broke Bhutan’s resistance and brought relief to the home supporters, with around 10,000 spectators watching from the stands.
Despite securing all three points, Bangladesh struggled to impose themselves against a lower-ranked opponent, even with home advantage. The hosts had been regarded as strong contenders for the title, but their performance raised questions about their attacking approach, particularly head coach Thomas Dooley’s decision to start Bishwanath as the lone striker.
Bangladesh’s preparations were disrupted before kick-off when captain-designate Topu Barman suffered a muscle injury during the warm-up. His absence forced Dooley to make changes to both his starting line-up and tactical arrangement.
Tariq Kazi moved into central defence, while Quazem Shah Kirmanee was brought into midfield. Jamal Bhuyan took over the captain’s armband and partnered Shamit Shome in central midfield. Bishwanath, who missed Bangladesh’s FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign through injury, was handed an unfamiliar attacking role.
Mehedi Hasan Srabon started in goal, behind a defensive line consisting of Tariq, Zidane Yousuf, Saad Uddin and Zayyan Ahmed. Rakib Hossain and Foysal Ahmed Fahim operated on the wings as Bangladesh lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Bishwanath featured in several attacking moves but struggled to provide the composure and finishing expected from a centre-forward. He had an opportunity in the 26th minute when a corner created a scramble inside the Bhutan penalty area, but he was unable to direct his effort on target.
Fourteen minutes later, he made a clever run onto a through ball from Rakib but again failed to hit the target, shooting wide from the edge of the box.
Bhutan also threatened, forcing Bangladesh goalkeeper Srabon into a flying save in the 41st minute. Bangladesh came close to scoring just before the break when Saad Uddin met Jamal’s cross with a glancing header, sending the ball across the face of goal in the 44th minute.
Dooley made a like-for-like change at the start of the second half, introducing Fahamedul Islam for Fahim on the left wing. However, Bangladesh continued to find it difficult to break down Bhutan’s defence.
The breakthrough eventually came after Dooley made a double substitution in the 65th minute, bringing on Ibrahim for Bishwanath and Sohel Rana Jr for Jamal. Ibrahim needed only four minutes to make the difference, converting the chance created by Shamit’s header to give Bangladesh a crucial opening victory.
The result gives Bangladesh three points in Group A. The hosts will now watch Bhutan’s second group match against Sri Lanka on November 8 before facing the islanders themselves three days later, on November 11.
Earlier on Thursday, the six-team championship began with a dramatic Group B encounter in which defending champions India defeated Pakistan 3–2. India established a commanding 3–0 lead by the 32nd minute, but Pakistan scored twice in stoppage time to create a tense finish. The Blue Tigers held on to claim all three points and make a winning start to their title defence.
