Bangladesh were left ruing a series of missed chances as they were held to a goalless draw by India in their AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers opener at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Tuesday.
The match marked Hamza Choudhury's debut for Bangladesh, but the Sheffield United midfielder, on loan from Premier League outfit Leicester City, could not make it momentous with a victory as Javier Cabrera鈥檚 charges failed to find the net from as many as seven scoring opportunities.
Bangladesh had to be pleased with their 14th draw in 32 meetings, while their last triumph came against India 22 years ago in the 2003 SAFF Championship semi-final, where they won 2-1.
Bangladesh dominated the hosts from the beginning as India found themselves scattered and soon changed their tactics to long and aerial passes to avoid Hamza in the midfield.
The visitors made effective attempts but failed to find the ball in the net, while India got their tempo in the second half and took a total of nine shots on target.
Bangladesh midfielder Mojibur Rahman Jony squandered a chance in the very first minute of the match as Hamza鈥檚 incisive pass set up Jony, who found himself with an open goal after Indian goalkeeper Vishal Kaith misjudged his positioning.
However, Jony's effort went agonisingly wide, setting the tone for an evening of missed chances.
Shahriar Emon missed chances in the 18th and 31st minutes before defender Mohammad Ridoy had a chance, which was cleared from the goalmouth by Indian defender Subhasish Bose in the 12th minute.
Jony, who only needed to chip the ball over the keeper, missed another chance in the 42nd minute.
Meanwhile, captain Topu Barman was stretchered off in the 22nd minute, with defender Rahmat Mia replacing him.
Substitute forward Foysal Ahmed Fahim came close to breaking the deadlock by firing a well-directed left-footed drive from the edge of the box five minutes from stipulated time, but India keeper Vishal blocked his shot with his left hand.
Bangladesh forward Rakib Hossain was the last man to miss a chance in the 89th minute when his 30-yard-long grounder was saved by Vishal.
Bangladesh will play their next game of the four-team Group C against Singapore at home on June 10 and will play against India in the return-leg match on November 18.
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