SAFF Championship Final, India vs Kuwait: India were crowned champions of SAFF Championship on Tuesday (July 4) for the record ninth time beating Kuwait in penalty shootout. The two teams played stunning football during 90 minutes of play to end on level terms at 1-1. The deadlock didn't break in the extra time as well. Perhaps, things didn't change even in the penalty shootout where both teams went past goalkeepers on 4 occasions each.
The sudden death rule was applied then and this is where India turned out to be superior with Mahesh Naorem scoring and then the goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made a stunning save to deny Kuwait captain Khaled Hajiah. The anticipation from Gurpreet was excellent as Khaled targetted the left of the former. But India's goalkeeper was spot on with his dive.
A full-length dive from Gurpreet led to him making a perfect save and that erupted a huge roar from a jam-packed stadium at Kanteerva in Bangalore. Indian team also ran towards their hero Gurpreet and the celebrations began. The winning moment has gone viral on social media as the fan are rejoicing one of the best moments in the history of Indian Football. The team is also on a winning spree at the moment having won Intercontinental Cup as well before their latest triumph.
Watch the winning moment here:
As far as the match is concerned, the Men in Blue were behind early with Shabaib Al Khaldi putting Kuwait into the lead in the 14th minute. Lallianzuala Chhangte, however, had other ideas as he scored an equaliser in the 39th minute. Though several chances were created, no team could score their second goal in the regulation and extra time as well.
The year has been memorable so far for Indian football but as of now, there are no matches scheduled for them at the international level. If we go by schedule, Team India will be next seen in action in January 2024 in the AFC Asian Cup where they will be facing Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria.
