Thomas cherian

SAFF U20 Championship: Reduced to nine men by the 69th minute, India battled to a 1-0 victory over Bhutan to kickstart their campaign in Group B of the SAFF U20 Championship at the ANFA Complex here on Monday.

Riding on Monirul Molla's headed goal in the first half, India were looking to take control by widening the gap, but a scuffle between players from both sides resulted in three red cards -- two for India and one for Bhutan -- which threatened to change the entire complexion of the game.

Despite Bhutan creating plenty of pressure in the remainder of the contest to capitalise on their man advantage, India kept them at bay and came out with all three points.