India U-20s Crush Pakistan 3-0 to Reach SAFF Championship Semis
India’s Under-20 side didn’t just beat Pakistan on Thursday — they bulldozed them. Three goals, no reply, and a semi-final place booked before the group stage was even halfway done. The Blue Colts ran out 3-0 winners in their Group B opener at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives, on March 26, eliminating arch-rivals Pakistan from the SAFF U-20 Championship 2026 in the process.
Vishal Yadav set the tone inside three minutes with the opening goal, giving India exactly the start they needed on a high-pressure occasion. The game was effectively over by the time Omang Dodum found the net twice in the second half — first in the 64th minute, then again in the 88th — to seal a commanding scoreline that flattered nobody.
“Vishal’s early goal gave us the confidence to push forward and control the game from there,” an AIFF team official told The Bridge. Dodum’s brace in the closing stages underlined the depth in India’s attacking options beyond the starting XI. India now advance to the semi-finals where they face one of the other group qualifiers — still in Male. Pakistan go home. In South Asian youth football, India remain the standard.