Male (Maldives), April 3 The Indian football team suffered a heartbreaking 3-4 defeat to Bangladesh in the penalty shootout at the final of the SAFF Men's U20 Championship at the National Stadium here on Friday.
This was Bangladesh's second SAFF Under-20 Championship title.
The final match went to a penalty shootout after both teams were tied at 0-0 at the end of regulation time, having failed to break the deadlock despite several near misses.
Following a 1-1 draw in the group stages, the result marked a second consecutive tournament loss for the Indian U-20 side against Bangladesh.
The defending champions, India, entered the tournament as favorites, having topped their group earlier, but Bangladesh managed to hold their nerve in the crucial moments to emerge victorious.
After an impressive performance in the tournament, India's Rishi Singh Ningthoukhongjam saw his penalty saved, and Omang Dodum missed his attempt in the shootout. However, Samuel Raksam managed to score, bringing India back into the contest.
Ronan Sullivan scored the decisive goal for Bangladesh, breaking the hearts of the Indian players.
India began their campaign with a 3-0 win over their arch-rivals, Pakistan, before drawing 1-1 with Bangladesh.
Subsequently, in the quarter-final stage, India thrashed Bhutan 5-0 to comfortably advance to the final.
Placed in Group B alongside India and Pakistan, Bangladesh started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Pakistan, before drawing 1-1 with India.
In the semifinals, Bangladesh defeated Nepal 1-0 to secure their place in the final.