SAFF Championship: India conquer South Asia for ninth time, defeat Kuwait 5-4 in penalty shootout
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the goalkeeper, made the difference yet again by saving a penalty kick in the final match, helping India win the SAFF Championship title for the ninth time with a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Kuwait. It was India’s second consecutive penalty shootout win, following their triumph against Lebanon in the semifinals. India is the most successful team in the tournament’s history with nine titles.
In the regulation time, Shabaib Al Khaldi scored the opener for Kuwait in the 14th minute, before Lallianzuala Chhangte equalized in the 39th minute. Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chhangte, Subasish Bose and Mahesh Naorem scored in the penalty shootout for India, while Udanta Singh missed.
Prior to the shootout, Kuwait had the edge and Mobarak Al Faneeni released Abullah Al Bloushi on the left wing with a pass, which Al Bloushi used to set up Al Khaldi to give Kuwait the lead. India almost equalized a minute later, but the Kuwait goalkeeper Abdul Rahman blocked Chhangte’s long-range shot. However, Chhangte eventually scored a goal after a series of passes between Sahal Abdul Samad and Chhetri.
