India progressed to the final of the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 with an enthralling 3-1 victory over Pakistan at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. A brace from Manvir Singh and a header from substitute Sumeet Passi were enough to dampen Pakistan’s hopes, who managed to pull one back in the ending minutes through Hassan Bashir.

The Blue Tigers started the match on the front foot creating a host of half-chances in the opening few minutes. However, it sprung to life near the halfway mark of the first period when India created their first clear-cut chance of the match. Farukh Choudhary did well to evade his marker before setting up strike partner Manvir, but the forward’s resulting shot was well saved by Pakistan’s keeper.

Minutes later, Pakistan’s keeper was up to the task again as he thwarted Ashique Kuruniyan’s fine shot from the edge of the box. The opponents were gifted with a solid chance at the half an hour mark from an indirect free-kick inside the penalty box, but Vishal Kaith came to the rescue. Pakistan almost took a lead through Hassan Bashir’s header which scraped the top of the bar, thus ensuring both the teams entered the breather tied at 0-0.

Within minutes in the second half, India opened the scoring through Manvir. Youngster Kuruniyan broke down the left flank and delivered a delicious ball across the face of the goal, which Manvir did well to poke into the back of the net. The evening just got better for the FC Goa forward, when he doubled the scoreline in the 70th minute. A brilliant counter-attack led by substitute Lallianzuala Chhangte ended up with Manvir, who expertly finished into the top corner.

With the tie all but sealed, India extended their lead in the 84th minute when birthday boy Sumeet Passi got on the end of another exquisite cross from Kuruniyan to bury the ball into the bottom corner. However, the match took a sour turn in the ending minutes when Chhangte and Mohsin Ali were awarded red cards for violent conduct.

With the rhythm slightly disturbed, India conceded their first goal of the tournament when Hassan Bashir’s long-range shot was deflected into the net. However, the defending champions managed to hold on during the final stages of the match to book a spot in the final to be played on Saturday, where Stephen Constantine’s men will face Maldives.