The Indian football team added a ninth title to their tournament record after defeating Kuwait 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at extra time in the SAFF Championship 2023 final at the Sree Kanteerva Stadium on Tuesday
India defeated Kuwait 5-4 in penalties in SAFF Championship 2023 final (Pic: Twitter/Indian Football)
The Indian football team added a ninth title to their tournament record after defeating Kuwait 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at extra time in the SAFF Championship 2023 final at the Sree Kanteerva Stadium on Tuesday.
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This was the second meeting between the two teams in this yearโs Championship with the first one in the Group Stage ending with a 1-1 draw.
๐ฎ๐ณ INDIA are SAFF ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ for the 9๏ธโฃth time! ๐
โ Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 4, 2023
๐ 1993
๐ 1997
๐ 1999
๐ 2005
๐ 2009
๐ 2011
๐ 2015
๐ 2021
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ#SAFFChampionship2023 #BlueTigers ๐ฏ #IndianFootball โฝ pic.twitter.com/3iLJQSeyWG
Kuwaitโs Shabib Al Khaldi found the back of the net in the 14th minute giving Kuwait and early lead. However, their joy didnโt last long as Indiaโs Lallianzuala Chhangte equalled the goal in the 38th minute of the thrilling match.
Both India and Kuwait failed to score in the second half and the game went into extra time with a 1-1 score at full-time. The 30-minute extra time did not witness any goal from either team, leading to the game proceeding towards penalty shoutouts.
Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Lallianzuala Chhangte converted their first three penalties for India while Udanta missed the fourth one. Subhasish Bose converted the last penalty for India.
Also Read: SAFF Championship: Sunil Chhetri key as India face Kuwait
From Kuwaitโs side, Fawaz Al Otaibi, Ahmed Al-Dhefiri, Abdul Aziz Naji, Shabib Al Khaldi found the back of the net while Mohammad Abdullah Daham failed to convert the first penalty.
Both teams were given an extra penalty kick to break the 4-4 tie.
Indiaโs Naorem Mahesh Singh scored and Gurpreet Singh managed to save Hajiahโs penalty, leading to India winning the title 5-4 on penalties.
This is Indiaโs second consecutive win in the tournament as they had also claimed the title in 2021.