New Delhi, Dec 12: India scored four goals in the last 20 minutes to beat 10-man Afghanistan 4-0 and defend its South Asian Football Federation title on Sunday.
Afghanistan held out at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium until the 71st minute when India was awarded a contentious penalty kick. Goalkeeper Hameedullah Yousefzari was so angry with the decision, he pushed the referee and earned himself a red card.
Striker Sunil Chhetri converted the spot kick to open the floodgates before Clifford Miranda (79th) and Jeje Lalpeklua (80th) scored in quick succession to make it 3-0.
Sushil Singh sealed the win in injury time against a hapless Afghanistan team playing its first SAF final after a shock 1-0 win over Nepal in the semifinals.