Wednesday, 5 July 2023, Bengaluru, India
After an incredible performance in the tournament, India won the SAFF Bangabandhu Championship for a record 9th time in the history of the competition. India reached its 13th SAFF Championship finals after defeating Lebanon in a thrilling encounter that ended in penalties.
India’s Gurpreet Singh Sandhu rose to the occasion and proved his worth by saving one penalty in the shootout and giving India early comfort. Indian shooters didn’t disappoint and made sure India made it to the finals.
After days of hard work and continuous effort, India met Kuwait on the final day of the SAFF Championship. Both sides met previously in the group stages of the SAFF Championship, which ended in a nil-nil draw.
Kuwait, placed below India in the global FIFA ranking, put up a generous fight in the group stages to keep India away from scoring. Kuwait did the same in the final and even managed to score a goal in the 15th minute of the game. Soon, India’s Chhangte lodged one inside Kuwait’s goal post keeping India on the level before the second half.
The match was very tight and more intense than any match in this competition. The official attendance at the Shree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru was 26000 plus, all pulsating for the Blue Tigers.
The crowd was doing its job, and they expected the players to do theirs. While the match was exciting and thrilling, it was also scorching. Both teams made multiple substitutions to keep the team functioning well and prevent any player from getting injured. Chances were coming in for both teams in the second half of the regular time, only to stay away from entering any goalpost. Both the goalkeepers were tested at regular intervals, and it is safe to say they did a great job.
Kuwait came close enough to score the winner, but it was cleverly evaded by Indian defenders in the 18-yard box. A similar chance emerged for India as Chhangte proved to be a threat inside Kuwait’s 18-yard box. The chance though fragile, it cemented India’s confidence to go further in the game and stay level with Kuwait.
With minutes to go for the regular time whistle, Kuwait was looking anxious to score and finish the game within regular time. That didn’t happen; thanks to India’s defense and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, they kept Kuwait busy in their own matter and stalled for time to go into extra time.
India’s best chance to score the winner in the second half of the extra time was when Chhangte, India’s only goal scorer in regular time, beautifully controlled a lobbed ball near Kuwait’s goalpost only to volley it over the crossbar into the crowds.
India was doing well in counterattacks and creating such dangerous chances but couldn’t finish those. Entering the attacking third and posing a real threat is India’s strength, but finishing and poor decision-making hinders the process. It was the case today, but a prolific performance by the Blue Tigers shadowed the flaws.
With both teams scoring one goal each till the 120th minute, it was time for penalties. India had to do it all over again like they did against Lebanon. Sunil Chhetri took India’s first penalty and calmly placed the ball in the back of the net with a little help from the post. After a brilliant penalty by Sunil, Kuwait’s Abdullah hit the ball very well, but it was too much to land the ball inside the post. Abdullah’s shot hit the crossbar and flew over the goalpost giving India the lead.
The dramatic finale took a drastic turn when Udanta Singh missed the 4th penalty shot and put the ball in the air, above the goalpost. This gave Kuwait an opening to make it three each. It was four all soon and it all came down to sudden death. Sudden death is a concept applied in sports like football where if the results are still unknown at the end of the first five penalties, another penalty opportunity is given to both teams to settle the scores.
Mahesh Naorem came in to finish things off in the sudden death. He scored the 6th penalty for India. After Mahesh, it was time for Kuwait’s captain to kick the ball but Gurpreet’s efforts denied the ball from entering the goal post as he dived in the right direction and pushed the ball away. India wins the SAFF Championship for a record 9th time after appearing in the finals for a record 13th time.
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