Team India won the match in the penalty shootout against Kuwait and took the crown as the 9th SAFF champion on Tuesday in Bengaluru. They took advantage of the tense situation and took away the title.
The team scored equally in the summit clash, 1-1, after 120 minutes. But after the penalty shoot-out, India finished with a score of 5-4 and finished the match. The scoreline was 4-4 after five rounds, but then the magic happened, and then suddenly, it was over for Kuwait.
Mahesh Naorem was the one who scored the winning goal that got India the title. And Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the goalkeeper, saved the shot from Khaled Hajiah and accompanied Mahesh Naorem in ensuring the win.
Kuwait was in the lead with a goal by Shabaib Al Khaldi in the 14th minute, and then India returned the favor in the 39th minute with the help of Lallianzuala Chhagte. In the last group match, Defending Champion India played a game with Kuwait and had a draw match with a score of 1-1.
This was the second win for India in a penalty shoot. The first one was against Lebanon, where they beat them 4-2 and made their place in the finals. It would be an injustice if we did not mention how Sandhu made a fantastic save in the shootout.
India Wins The 9th Title: Beats Kuwait In SAFF Championship
In the finals, India could have made the scores equal with a minute of Kuwait scoring the goal, but their goalkeeper Abdul Rahman blocked a long ranger from Chhangte. But they couldn’t stop him the second time, and he equaled the score.
Captain Chhetri and Sahal Abdul made the lovely pass, and Cahhangte made the goal but with difficulty. In the second half, both the teams looked for the winning goal but couldn’t score.
It was amazing how they kept the audience on edge during the extra time, which changed the game.
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