The outcome was as most had predicted. And the conclusion was effective. The home team beat Kuwait, albeit by a narrow margin, winning the SAFF Championship 5-4 on penalties (after the score was 1-1 after extra time), amid a sea of blue at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium and their resounding chants of “India, India” and “Vande Mataram.”
The advantage of having already played each other in group play allowed the Blue Tigers and Al-Azraqs to assess each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Apart from the constant attention on Sunil Chhetri, Anwar Ali and Sandesh Jhingan were the focus for India because of their tight defensive tandem, which allowed the Blue Tigers to enjoy eight straight clean sheets.
Therefore, with India behind 1-0 when Anwar was stretchered off the field in the 35th minute, there was a potential that the Indian defence would get disoriented in the face of a dangerous Kuwaiti onslaught led by Shabaib Alkhaldi, who had scored Kuwait’s first goal, Mohammad Abdullah, and Mobarak Alfaneeni.
However, Mehtab Singh, Anwar’s replacement, soon established himself in the game, teaming up with Jhingan to thwart the Kuwaiti attack. Singh’s defense, which mainly involved long clearances from the box, wasn’t the most impressive, but it was effective. Jhingan deserves special recognition for his clearing in the 53rd minute, when he deflected Alkhaldi’s pass to Abdullah in the box to stop what would have been a goal.
(Photo Credit: Murali Kumar)
Teamwork makes India’s dream work
However, the transformation is only getting started. There is still a propensity to choose Chhetri even when it may not be the best option, despite the fact that the overall emphasis has been on clinical combination plays to open up defenses. Anirudh Thapa, Sahal, and Jeakson Singh had numerous chances to score against Kuwait but chose to find their captain instead of taking advantage of the safer option, which led to some excellent attacks failing due to the Kuwaiti backline’s anticipation.
It took a penalty shootout to decide the winner in a game when India struggled to break through the opposition’s defending after 120 minutes. And that’s when No. 1 entered the picture and had his shining moment. Right now, you wish you were Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The No. 1 player from India won both of the penalty shootouts she faced in the semifinal and championship game. It would be incorrect to honor him solely for the title-winning save he made against Khaled Hajiah in the final.
In a contest of advantages and disadvantages, winning the trophy for India for the eighth time was ultimately what mattered. India’s SAFF Cup victory over Lebanon and Kuwait, two formidable West Asian teams, will definitely be a beneficial milestone in the team’s journey towards confronting the Asian giants next year, with the AFC Asian Cup drawing near.
