Mohammad Ibrahim came off the bench and lifted Bangladesh to a crucial 1-0 win over Bhutan to kick off their campaign in the SAFF Championship 2026 on a winning not at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday.

Ibrahim scored the only goal of the match, just two minutes after getting subbed in, replacing Bishwanath Ghosh.

Bishwanath, a right-back, was tried out as a forward in the match but coach Thomas Dooley’s experiment did not pay dividends.

Ibrahim was subbed in in the 66th minute and just two minutes later, he found the back off the net with a volley, converting a header from Shamit Shome, which took a deflection off a Bhutan defender.

Bangladesh produced a few more chances in the second half, but a second goal didn’t arrive. But the hosts wouldn’t mind, as the win puts them in contention for a semifinal spot.

In the first half, the hosts dominated possession, created chances, but the goal didn’t arrive.

Makeshift forward Bishwanath received two chances, but the right-back couldn’t cash in on them, showing a lack of composure.

In the 17th minute, Rakib Hossain sent in a cross from the right flank. Bishwajit leaped up and had a clear header, but could not make the requisite connection.

He received his second chance a few minutes later, when he did well to receive a through pass down the right side, but instead of calmly placing the ball home, he slashed at it, and put it wide.

The Bhutan keeper Gyelshen Zangpo made two errors, spilling the ball while collecting, but Bangladesh could not capitalize on both occasions.

Bhutan also made a couple of attempts from far off late the in half, but in the 41st minute, Bangladesh goalkeeper Mehdi Hasan Srabon was forced to make a diving save, his only real test in the match so far.

Bangladesh had another chance late in the half from a corner, but Saad Uddin could not make the requisite connection.

Earlier, defender Topu Barman was sidelined from the match after being named captain in team sheet, due to an injury during the pre-match warm-up.