INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: A determined Team India edged Kuwait in a tense penalty shootout to clinch a record ninth SAFF Championship title in Bengaluru on
Tuesday.India finished with a score-line of 5-4 in the shoot-out after both sides were deadlocked 1-1 in 120 minutes in the summit
clash.After five rounds of penalty kicks the score-line remained 4-4 as sudden-death came into play.Mahesh Naorem scored for India in the
sudden death while India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved Khaled Hajiah's shot to help the team secure a thrilling win.In the
regulation time, Shabaib Al Khaldi had put Kuwait in the lead in the 14th minute before Lallianzuala Chhangte equalised in the 39th
minute.As It HappenedDefending champion India and Kuwait had also played out a 1-1 draw in their last group match.This was the second time
India won in the penalty shootout
They had made it to Tuesday's summit clash after beating Lebanon 4-2 in penalty shootout in the semifinal on July 1
Sandhu had also made a crucial save in the shootout then.(PTI photo)For India, captain Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chhangte, Subasish
Bose and Mahesh converted while Udanta Singh missed.Before the shootout drama, Kuwait held a slight edge as they pressed forward for goals
often in the first half.The relentlessness fetched the desired result in the 14th minute
Mobarak Al Faneeni released Abullah Al Bloushi on the left wing with a deft pass
Al Bloushi found Shabaib Al Khaldi inside the box with an accurate cross which the latter slotted past India custodian Sandhu to give Kuwait
1-0 lead.India could have levelled the scores within a minute but Kuwait goalkeeper Abdul Rahman blocked Chhangte's long ranger.But
Chhangte, who was named AIFF Men's Player of the Year on Tuesday, was not to be denied a second time in the 39th minute.After a lovely
exchange of passes between Sahal Abdul Samad and captain Chhetri, the latter found an unmarked Chhangte deep inside the box
Chhangte, India's energetic No
12, had little trouble in beating Abdul Rahman to find the equaliser.It atoned for Chhetri's failure to score during the regulation time for
the second match in a row to an extent.In the second half, the action continued to flow thick and fast as both India and Kuwait searched for
the winner.Both sides came close to scoring their respective second goals, but unable to do that, as the match moved towards the extra time
for the second successive time for both the teams.The extra time too witnessed frenetic action from both the sides
There were couple of injuries, yellow cards to players and officials of both sides and a slew of corners.But that the decisive goal did not
come through, making a penalty shootout mandatory to pick the winner.
