Both Bangladesh and Pakistan were denied by the woodwork in an intense back-and-forth first half as the scoreline read 0-0 at the halfway mark of their SAFF Championship 2026 semifinal at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday.

Bangladesh’s best chance of the match came in the 23rd minute. A corner kick for the home side was seemingly going nowhere before the ball fell to Rakib Hossain at the edge of the box.

Rakib’s grounded shot from the right foot took a deflection off Pakistan goalkeeper Yousuf Ijaz Butt’s outstretched hand, and was seemingly heading toward the net.

But the goalkeeper had done enough as the ball hit the inside edge of the post, and rolled along the goal line, before a Pakistani defender cleared it.  

The post then came to Bangladesh’s rescue at the other end in the 32nd minute. Abdul Samad Sahzad expertly controlled an aerial pass in the box with one touch, and then flicked it out of reach of the Bangladesh keeper Mehdi Hasan Srabon.

But his aim was a fraction off, as the ball hit the post and trickled out of play.

Earlier, the fans turned up in huge numbers in the stands on the weekend. A giant tifo, showing Hamza Choudhury kicking down a Pakistani soldier, was unfurled right before kick-off and the action since then has been equally fiery.

Pakistan put Bangladesh under pressure early on, with Srabon diving to his left to make a save from a long range attempt.

But as the match progressed, Bangladesh emerged as the stronger of the two side, creating more chances, with action taking place mostly in the Pakistan end. However, the goal never arrived.

Tempers also flared at times, with pushes and shoves in between the action.

Another fiery half awaits, which will decide who will face India in the final on Monday.