Piash Ahmed Nova's dream to strike against India in SAFF U-20 Championship came true when the BKSP student struck a brace to power Bangladesh to a 2-1 win over the neighbouring nation in their second match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India yesterday.

Fresh from a single-goal win over Sri Lanka in their tournament opener, the boys in red and green came strongly against the hosts to notch up consecutive victories in the inaugural U-20 Championship, which previously was a U-18 tournament where India beat Bangladesh 2-1 in the final to win the title in 2019.

Nova, also a player of Bashundhara Kings, gave Bangladesh the lead in the 29th minute with a brilliant left-footed strike inside the box after Indian defenders fumbled to clear a long ball from Bangladesh, who rattled the woodwork twice prior.

Six minutes later, Gurkirat Singh levelled the margin with an eye-catching header inside the box but Bangladesh restored the lead with the 10-grade student - Nova – converting from the spot one minute into the stoppage time of the first half.

"I had a wish to score against India and I thought of it almost the whole night. Even I thought of how I would celebrate after scoring goals against India. I'm really happy that I have struck against India and my dream came true," Nova told The Daily Star from Odisha over the phone after match.

Nova also informed his elder brother Pial Ahmed phoned him from Bangladesh to inspire him to score against India before the match day.

"My elder brother named Pial Ahmed called yesterday [Tuesday] to inform me that India is a large country which has big provinces like Bangladesh and they have a lot of footballers across the country.

"He asked me to show India that Bangladesh also possess talented footballers by scoring goals. I am also happy to keep the words of my brother," said the 6-feet-height forward from Amla of Kushtia.

Nova also knows the tale of Bangladesh U-18 team's defeat to the Indian counterparts in the SAFF U-18 Championship but he believes the current group of the players are better than the previous squad.

"I have learnt from seniors that Bangladesh created more chances than India in that final but the players tried individually instead of playing as a team, thus squandering the chances to miss the title," Nova added.

"However, we are a team who are determined to play the final of the ongoing tournament. Each of the players are also trying to give their level best from their respective positions. All three departments are also functioning as a unit because we first want to ensure the final berth."

Coach Paul Smalley said: "We've got young elements in the squad. It's a mixture of our Elite Academy players and Under-20 players. We've had a small period of time for preparation and did a little bit when we got here in India. We researched all of the teams who are in the competition and spent a lot of time on the analysis. I think we've got depth and width in all our positions."

Bangladesh will play their third match against Maldives tomorrow.

"We've got young elements in the squad. It's a mixture of our Elite Academy players and Under-20 players. We've had a small period of time for preparation and did a little bit when we got here in India. We researched all of the teams who are in the competition and spent a lot of time on the analysis. I think we've got depth and width in all our positions."

— Bangladesh coach Paul Smalley