Priya Aditi
Tuesday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, India won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship penalty shootout 5-4 against Kuwait. The regulation time of the championship match ended in a 1-1 tie, forcing both teams to shoot penalty kicks for the prized championship.
Mahesh Naorem scored, but Sandhu saved Kuwait captain Khaled Hajiah’s strike, much to the delight of the home crowd and the Indian dugout.
Shabaib Al Khaldi gave Kuwait the lead in the 14th minute of regulation before Lallianzuala Chhangte equalized in the 39th minute.
In their final group match, defending champion India and Kuwait also played to a 1-1 draw.
This was India’s second victory in a penalty shootout. They qualified for Tuesday’s summit match by defeating Lebanon 4-2 in a semifinal penalty shootout on July 1. Additionally, Sandhu had made a crucial save during the shootout.
Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chhangte, Subasish Bose, and Mahesh scored tries for India, while Udantasingh failed to convert.
Mobarak Al Faneeni released Abullah Al Bloushi on the left flank with a deft pass in the fourteenth minute. Al Bloushi delivered a pinpoint cross to Shabaib Al Khaldi inside the box, and the latter beat India goalkeeper Sandhu to give Kuwait a 1-0 lead.
Chhangte’s long-range shot could have tied the game within a minute, but Kuwait goalkeeper Abdul Rahman blocked it.
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In the 39th minute, following a beautiful interchange of passes between Sahal Abdul Samad and captain Chhetri, the latter found an unmarked Chhangte inside the penalty area. Chhangte, India’s tenacious No. 12 player, had little difficulty defeating Abdul Rahman to score the equalizer.
Tuesday, Chhangte was dubbed the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year.
