Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was once again the hero as he made an incredible penalty save from Khaled Hajiah, Kuwait’s captain, to secure a ninth SAFF Championship for India. After the 90 minutes and extra time had seen both team level at 1-1, the penalty shootout saw each side thump one kick over the crossbar. On to sudden death, and Gurpreet’s incredible save, diving high to his left to claw the ball away.
The Kanteerava Stadium was jam-packed and witnessed an exciting first half with two well-executed goals. India’s defence appeared shaky in the first quarter, and Kuwait took advantage in the 14th minute. Mobarak Al-Faneni initiated the attack from the midfield, and Abdullah Al Baloushi, the right back, provided a well-placed cutback to an unmarked Shabib Al-Khaldi, who gave Kuwait the lead.
India almost equalised within two minutes, when Sunil Chhetri’s stunning volley from outside the box was kept away by Abdulrahman Marzouq, the Kuwaiti goalkeeper. Lallianzuala Chhangte came close to turning in the rebound inside the six-yard box, but the goalkeeper again cleared the danger.
India wins the #SAFFChampionship2023.@GurpreetGK the hero in back-to-back tie breakers!!
The whole team has stepped up!
Listen to @chetrisunil11 speaking on #Gurpreet & #Jhinghan‘s leadership and the youngsters who have stepped up! @ThumsUpOfficial @IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/tmImUw46Oc
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) July 4, 2023
Soon after, India had to make a substitution as Anwar Ali was stretchered off the field due to an injury, with Mehtab Singh replacing him in. In the 38th minute, India levelled the score with a brilliant team move. Ashique Kuruniyan received the ball and passed to Chhetri, who played a defence-splitting through pass to Sahal Abdul Samad. Samad set it up nicely for Chhangte, who converted the chance with ease.
Chhangte had another opportunity to give India a 2-1 lead when Marzouq’s poor clearance fell to Kuruniyan. Kuruniyan headed it forward to Chhetri, who provided a good touch to Chhangte, but his shot was too weak to trouble the keeper. In the 72nd minute, Mahesh Gawli – the assistant coach who was overseeing proceedings, with Igor Stimac suspended – made a substitution, bringing off Kuruniyan and Anirudh Thapa for Mahesh Naorem and Rohit Kumar, but it had little impact on Kuwait’s game plan.
Both teams created a few chances in extra time, but failed to find a breakthrough. There were hardly any notable moves from either side, except in the 119th minute, when Nikhil Poojary delivered an accurate cross to Chhangte, who chested the ball down brilliantly before striking it over the bar.
In the shootout, Chhetri scored India’s first penalty, while Kuwait’s Mohammed Daham hit the crossbar. The fans erupted in joy, but their excitement was short-lived as Udanta Singh’s penalty also went over. However, instead of getting frustrated, the fans at the Kanteerava Stadium backed Udanta, cheering his name. Subhashis Bose, Sandesh Jhingan and Chhangte were the other scorers in the shootout, while Mahesh tucked away his spot-kick in sudden death.
Ultimately, though, it came down to Gurpreet, and another memorable save to add to a growing collection. After years of despair and treading water, Indian football is on the move.