রিপোর্টারের নাম 
Bangladesh on Saturday drew 1-1 with India on Saturday to secure their place in SAFF U-20 Championship semifinals as Group B runners-up.
With that draw they have narrowly missed the group title on goal difference after failing to find a winning goal despite a spirited second-half effort.
The match in Maldives National Stadium saw both goals scored in the first half, with Bangladesh recovering from an early deficit but unable to complete a comeback victory that would have made them group champions.
Bangladesh had already confirmed their semifinal berth before the match, but needed a win against India to top the group. India took the lead in the 17th minute when Vishal Yadav headed in from a corner, going against the run of play after Bangladesh had dominated early possession. Ashikur Rahman had come close moments earlier, his header from a corner sailing just over the crossbar in the 12th minute.
Bangladesh found their equalizer in first-half stoppage time when Abdul Riyad Fahim finished with a precise shot at the far post from a Ronan Benjamin Sullivan corner. The goal came shortly after India’s goalkeeper coach Sandeep Nandy was shown a red card for protesting a referee’s decision.
The second half produced intense end-to-end action. Bangladesh goalkeeper Ismail Hossain made a crucial save in the 63rd minute, rushing off his line to deny Omang Dudu after the Indian forward had beaten two defenders. Fahim received a yellow card for fouling Samson just outside the box, but Dudu’s resulting free kick deflected off the defensive wall and went wide.
Ronan’s late attempt in the 87th minute sailed well wide as Bangladesh ran out of time in their search for a winner.
Both teams finished with four points from one win and one draw each. India claimed the group title on goal difference after opening with a 3-0 win over Pakistan, while Bangladesh had defeated Pakistan 2-0 in their first match.
Bangladesh will face Nepal in the semifinal on April 1 as they aim to defend their title. The defending champions won the tournament last year by defeating Nepal 4-1 in the final. In the seven editions of this age-group competition held across U-18, U-19 and U-20 categories, India have won four titles, Nepal two and Bangladesh one.
