The 19-year-old striker from Noakhali saved the blushes of the home side when he let loose a fierce grounder past Pakistan custodian Zulfiqar in the 62nd minute of the entertaining encounter.

Picked in the side only a month ago Ridon justified coach Abu Yusuf's faith in him with a dream run down the right flank. After receiving a pass from midfielder Maruf just outside the box Rodin dodged past two Pakistani defenders before finding the target with a sublime shot.

His one-off brilliance in an otherwise tense affair gave the hosts a winning start in the three-nation qualifiers that also involves Nepal, who will play Pakistan at the same venue tomorrow.

Although Bangladesh won the match by the barest margin, the first fifteen minutes gave an indication of how tough Pakistan would prove to be as an opponent.

Instead of being pushovers the visitors assumed the role of raiders against a panic-stricken home side. More known for their defensive qualities the Pakistanis pinned the home side against the wall with waves of attack winning as many as five corners.

But the home boys drew inspiration from their coach, who himself was a great defender, to survive the early onslaught.

Pakistan should have taken the lead in the fourth minute when Waqas sent a teasing cross to an unmarked Saleem, but the tall midfielder wasted the opportunity sending his header over the crosspiece.

After surviving the initial storm Bangladesh gradually took control of the game and set up their only scoring chance of the first half with Ridon in the thick of things.

A good striker in the making Ridon drove the ball in the direction of the far post but only to be denied by Zulfiqar, who made a full-stretch fingertip save for a corner.

Bangladesh came out all guns blazing after the break but could not find a way through a dogged Pakistan defense until Ridon served the decisive blow.

It could have been a double delight for Ridon had he not rushed his shot, which went straight into the safe hands of Zulfiqar in 70th minute. Besides, a minute later substitute Sujon fired a right-footer from a vantage position that sailed over the cross bar.

In the dying minutes of the game Pakistan could have earned a share of the points if striker Rafique had not been thwarted by Bangladesh goalkeeper Piru in a one-on-one situation.

"Pakistan played a defensive game. That's why we could not create many scoring chances. Moreover my team looked totally lost in the first 15 minutes. Considering that, I think 1-0 margin was fair enough," a happy Yusuf said after the match.

The former national defender however said that the next match against Nepal would be different.

"Nepal will be playing an attacking game like us. So, hopefully it will be a more open contest.

On the other hand, his Pakistan counterpart Siddique Sheikh blamed inexperience for the result on Monday.

"Bangladesh boys played around four tournaments before this match while we had played only a few practice matches against mediocre local teams. That's why Bangladesh looked better today. But I am not unhappy with the effort of my boys," Sheikh said.

Bangladesh will play Nepal on December 5. Only the winners of this group will advance into the 16-team final round to be held in Malaysia next September.

Teams

Bangladesh: Piru, Shiraji, Zahir, Robin, Faisal, Maruf, Sharif, Anwar, Ridon (Shamim), Parvez and Arup (Sujon).

Pakistan: Zulfiqar, Akhter, Waqas, Umar Farooq, Mubashar, Saleem (Asif), Imran, Farooq Shah (Ahsan), Misbah, Rafique and Ahmed.

Referee: Sunder Raj Balu (India).