India beat Bhutan 2-1 in the SAFF Championship semi-final in Dhaka, with Vishnu PV scoring in the ninth minute and captain Chinglensana Singh Konsham in the 28th. Kinzang Tashi Tobden pulled one back, and India will meet Bangladesh or Pakistan in Tuesday’s final.
Dhaka, Bangladesh: India reached the final of the SAFF Championship for another time with a 2-1 win over Bhutan at the National Stadium on Saturday, a match in which two VAR decisions shaped the second half after India had been two goals up inside half an hour.
Vishnu and Chinglensana put India in control
Coach Naushad Moosa made four changes from the side that beat the Maldives 1-0 to top Group B, bringing in Arsh Anwer Shaikh in goal, with Vishnu, Manglenthang Kipgen and Nikhil Prabhu also starting. Vishnu PV made the difference in the ninth minute, nutmegging a defender after a long diagonal pass and finishing into the bottom-right corner. By the half-hour mark India had had six shots to Bhutan’s none, and in the 28th minute Chinglensana reacted first to a loose ball after a Kipgen corner to make it 2-0.
VAR decides two big calls
This was the first time VAR was used in the competition, and it decided two big moments after the break. Bhutan’s Kinzang Tashi Tobden scored from a free-kick in the 48th minute after an offside flag was overturned, and a penalty awarded to India was cancelled when the review showed a cross had struck Nima Wangdi’s arm.
India hold on
Arsh made a late save to deny Bhutan in the 53rd minute, and he also tipped over a shot from Bhutan captain Chencho Gyeltshen. At the other end, Suhail Ahmad Bhat hit the crossbar in the 85th minute and Bhutan goalkeeper Gyeltshen Zangpo stopped another first-time effort from him. Bhutan were playing their first SAFF Championship semi-final in 18 years and pushed India late, but the two-goal lead built in the first half was enough.
Final on Tuesday
India, the defending champions, will play the winner of the second semi-final between Bangladesh and Pakistan on 17 November. A win would give India a record 10th SAFF Championship title. They had opened the tournament with a 3-2 win over Pakistan.
Score: India 2 (Vishnu PV 9’, Chinglensana Singh Konsham 28’) beat Bhutan 1 (Kinzang Tashi Tobden 48’) — SAFF Championship 2026, semi-final, National Stadium, Dhaka, 14 November 2026.
Final: India v Bangladesh or Pakistan, Tuesday 17 November.
