Football

'Ye hoti haina jeet' - Fans react as India beat Kuwait on penalties to clinch their 9th SAFF Championship

Sunil Chhetri and his Indian team have once again made the nation proud as they were able to win their 9th SAFF title in the14 year history

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Daniel S
New Update
Indian football team

Indian football team (Source - Twitter)

India's Sunil Chhetri-led team won the SAFF Championship for the ninth time after defeating Kuwait on penalties in the gripping championship game. After regulation time ended with a 1-1 stalemate between both teams, India overcame Kuwait 5-4 on penalties. 

Udanta Singh failed to score one of India's penalties in the shootout, whereas Abdullah struck the goalpost for Kuwait. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved Hajiah's penalty kick as the game entered sudden death, giving India the victory. When it comes to India's lone goal, Chhetri was the one who passed the ball to Sahal near the centre of the Kuwaiti penalty box, who then drove it past the goal line before Chhangte finished it off. 

The previous week's group stage meeting between the two teams finished in a 1-1 draw. Both teams played a tonne of games to get to the finals; this was Kuwait's sixth and India's ninth in a month. Players had to work very hard to defeat Lebanon and Bangladesh during their respective semifinal contests, which lasted 120 minutes. Speaking of Kuwait, they had not won a trophy after their win in the 2010 Arabian Gulf Cup, and a victory here would have eased their suffering after they lost an entire generation of footballers during the more than two-year FIFA suspension.

The finalists’ semi-final performances

India, on the other side, qualified for the final thanks to goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's outstanding performance during the second semifinal. By saving Maatouk's opening penalty shot for Lebanon, he displayed his tenacity. This outstanding stop gave the Indian penalty-takers more self-assurance, which helped them convert the spot-kicks into goals. Chhetri, Anwar, Mahesh, as well as Udanta, were among the players who demonstrated class and skill by scoring a goal for India. 

At the end of the day, it was Sunil Chhetri and his side that came out on top during the final of the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship and are still the team with the most titles in the history of the competition. 

Fans react as India beat Kuwait on penalties to clinch their 9th SAFF Championship: -

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