VAR went Bhutan’s way twice, and India’s second string still made the SAFF final

India’s second-string side are one game away from keeping the SAFF Championship. P V Vishnu and Chinglensana Singh scored in the first 27 minutes at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday, 14 November, and India beat Bhutan 2-1 to reach the final on Tuesday, 17 November.

This was the first SAFF Championship game played with VAR, and both of its big calls went Bhutan’s way. One gave them their goal. The other took a penalty away from India.

Two goals in 27 minutes

Vishnu opened the scoring early. He brought down a long ball, got past a defender and finished with his right foot. The second came from a corner that Bhutan could not clear, and Chinglensana, who has captained India in Dhaka, scored from close range in the scramble.

Both goals came from players who had not been India’s scorers in the group stage. Suhail Ahmad Bhat got three of their four goals in those two games, and he did not add to them here.

VAR’s first SAFF goal

Bhutan scored shortly after the restart. Their captain Chencho Gyeltshen sent the ball in and Kinzang Tashi Tobden headed it home from close range. The assistant referee had his flag up for offside. The review overturned it, and Tobden’s goal became the first in SAFF Championship history to stand after a VAR check. Remote VAR was brought in from the semi-finals onwards.

India thought they had a penalty midway through the half, when Irfan Yadwad’s cross hit a Bhutan defender on the hand. The referee pointed to the spot, went to the review and changed his mind.

A late let-off

India were 2-0 up at the break, and the second half was a lot harder. Bhutan kept pushing for an equaliser, and their best chance came in stoppage time. A header was sent back across goal towards the far post, where a Bhutan player had been left unmarked a few yards out, and he could not get a touch on it.

Bhutan had reached the semi-finals without winning a game, after a 1-0 defeat to Bangladesh and a 2-2 draw with Sri Lanka. It was their first SAFF semi-final since 2008, and India knocked them out that time too.

Bangladesh or Pakistan on Tuesday

India have now reached the final at every edition since 2005, and they have won the title nine times. They have got this far in Dhaka without most of their first-choice players. Head coach Khalid Jamil took the senior squad to New Zealand for friendlies, so Naushad Moosa has been in charge of this group.

The hosts, Bangladesh, play Pakistan in the second semi-final on Saturday evening. India have already beaten Pakistan once in this tournament, 3-2 in their opening group game.

Follow the Blue Tigers into the SAFF final