India and Bangladesh Qualify for SAFF U-17 Final

 India vs Nepal second semi-final match action

By Susil Premalal

India and Bangladesh qualified for the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under 17 Boys’ Championship 2025 after recording victories in their respective semi-final encounters played yesterday (25) at the Racecourse Ground in Colombo.

In the first semi-final, Bangladesh stunned strong contenders Pakistan with an early double strike to secure a 2-0 win. Nazmul Huda Faysal found the net in the 2nd minute, followed by Opu Rahman in the 4th minute, giving Bangladesh a decisive lead at half-time. 

Neither side could score in the second half, allowing Bangladesh to book their place in the grand final.

Meanwhile, defending champions India outplayed Nepal 3-0 in the second semi-final after a goalless first half. 

Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam opened the scoring for India in the 61st minute, while Azlaan Shah extended the lead in the 80th minute before Sing Thokchom sealed victory with a strike in injury time (90+4). Accordingly, the highly anticipated final between India and Bangladesh will be played tomorrow (27) at 6.00 p.m. at the same venue. Interestingly, both nations also met in the 2024 SAFF U-17 final in Bhutan, where India triumphed 2-0 to claim the title.