Sunil Chhetri’s stunning strike went in vain as Anwar Ali’s late own goal ruined India’s chances of finishing on top of the group A at the SAFF Championship. India will now likely face Lebanon in the semi-final, while Kuwait’s reward for topping the group on the basis of goals scored should be a last-four meeting with Bangladesh.
Igor Stimac, India’s coach, had clear plans to prevent Kuwait from dominating possession, and his players executed those tactics well from the start of the match. Chhetri had a good opportunity within the first 10 minutes, but failed to convert it. Kuwait thought they had broken the deadlock in the 25th minute with a nice move, but it was ruled out due to a foul on Nikhil Poojary on the edge of the box.
In the closing moments of the first half, Chhetri found the back of the net for his 92nd international goal, in his 140th appearance. Moreover, it was his 23rd goal in the SAFF Championship, equalling the record set by Ali Ashfaq, the Maldivian football legend.
In the second half, Kuwait executed their game plan effectively, maintaining control and creating multiple inroads into India’s defensive third. They came close to equalising in the 56th minute with a stunning free kick by Shabib Al-Khaldi, but Amrinder Singh made a brilliant save to keep the scoreline intact. In the 86th minute, Kuwait had another opportunity, but Amrinder denied them once again with a fine save.
However, India’s streak of nine straight clean sheets came to an end in the dying minutes of the game when Kuwait created an opening, and a cross from their winger deflected off Anwar and in to the goal.
Moving forward, India will again be without Stimac in the technical area for the semi-final, after he was sent off for an argument with the referees. Having been shown red in the opening match of the tournament against Pakistan, his behaviour will certainly invite further scrutiny. Rahim Ali of India and Hamad Al-Qallaf of Kuwait were also both sent off after a heated moment in the final minutes of the game.