Dhaka: Defending champions India rode on goals from P V Vishnu and Chinglensana Singh to beat Bhutan 2-1 and enter the final of the SAFF Championship here on Saturday.

To advertise here,

Vishnu opened the scoring in the eighth minute, controlling a long diagonal ball before shifting to his right foot and slotting it past the Bhutan goalkeeper.

India doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Chinglensana smashed home from close range after Bhutan failed to clear a corner delivered by Kipgen.

However, Bhutan fought back in the 48th minute through Tobden, who headed home after Gyeltshen's effort from inside the box, with VAR overturning the initial offside decision.

The match marked the historic debut of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the SAFF Championship.

India fielded the U-23 reserve squad under head coach Naushad Moosa as the senior team is currently engaged in friendly matches in New Zealand.

India will face either hosts Bangladesh or Pakistan in the final, scheduled for November 17.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)