Football
WATCH: Gurpreet's save gives India 9th SAFF title on penalties
The Indian football team defeated Kuwait in the finals of the 2023 SAFF Championships to claim their 9th title.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu(Image via AIFF)
A packed Kanteerava Stadium went mad as Gurpreet Singh Sandhu dived on his left to save the sudden death penalty from Kuwait's captain to hand India the 9th title of the SAFF Championship on Tuesday.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu repeated his heroics from the semi-finals in the penalty shoot-out to help India come out on top against a tough Kuwait team.
Both teams were tied at 1-1 after 120 minutes of thrilling football, and the game moved to penalties.
Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri scored the first penalty to take India 1-0 up, while Kuwait's player Abdullah hit the crossbar. However, parity was restored when Udanta Singh blazed one over the bar.
With five rounds of penalties gone, the score was 4-4, and the game moved to the sudden death.
Naorem Mahesh Singh stepped up and scored for India, but a diving Sandhu saved Kuwait captain Khaled Hajiah's shot to the wild celebration of the home fans and at the India dugout.
WATCH: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's save in penalty shootout
In the regulation time, Lallianzuala Chhangte canceled Shabaib Al Khaldi's opener in the 14th minute, and the game stood at 1-1 after 120 minutes of football.
India won the second consecutive game in the penalty shootout after defeating Lebanon 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the semifinal on July 1. Sandhu had also made a crucial save in the shootout then.
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 eagerness earned them the result as Kuwait drew the first blood in the 14th minute as Mobarak Al Faneeni released Abdullah 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 a 1-0 lead.
India could have leveled 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, took the second chance as India scored a beautiful team goal in the 39th minute to equalize.
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 equalizer.
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 taking the lead in the second half, but their poor finishing kept the game at 1-1.
The extra time she too witnessed frantic action from both sides, as it had a couple of yellow cards, injuries, and a lot of drama.
With this title, India has won the SAFF Championships 9th time now from 13 finals played. Indian football team capped off crazy three weeks with two titles in the form of the Hero Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championships 2023.
