India won SAFF championship as they beat Afghanistan 4-0

India comprehensively defeated ten-man Afghanistan 4-0 in the finals of the SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi with referee Sukhbir Singh being at the epicenter of events.

The defending champions came alive only in the final 20 minutes after Afghanistan’s Hameedullah Yousefzari was sent-off under questionable circumstances.

A penalty from Sunil Chhetri and goals from Clifford Miranda, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sushil Singh sealed the victory for the Indians.

The two coaches named an unchanged line-up from the one that started in the semi-finals.

It was Afghanistan who started on a brighter note as the very first minute needed a last ditch clearance from Gouramangi Moirangthem after Anthony Pereira gave away the ball and Balal Arezou was through.

The next minute it was Arezou again as he picked up a ball in the second minute from Ghulam Hoddein and his shot from the top of the box was stopped by Karanjit Singh.


The Men in Blue were finding it difficult to find their feet as they failed to stitch together a couple of passes inside the opposition half.

Gouramangi couldn’t keep pace with Arezou who sent in a ball across the face of the goal which Sanjar Ahmadi just about missed by a yard or so.

Around the half way mark of the first half, Yousef Mahsriqi released Arezou in the space between Gouramangi and Mahesh Gawli and the Afghan number nine’s shot was blocked by Karanjit once again.

India’s first real foray forward was when Climax Lawrence’s chip found Clifford Miranda get behind the Afghan defence but the Dempo winger couldn’t control the ball well.

Savio Medeira’s side were second best for most of the first half and couldn’t deal with the pace of their opposition who interestingly had played 120 minutes just a day before.

After the break, India looked the keep the ball with Climax being the chief instigator as he found Anthony Pereira on the right whose cross saw Jeje’s header go over the bar.

Afghan were finding it difficult to keep up the tempo of the first session and looked content to hit on the counter, which were restricted to a few.

It was around the hour mark that Jeje was allegedly brought down by Faisal Safa inside the box and referee Sukhbir Singh awarded a soft penalty to India. In the aftermath, goalkeeper Hameedullah Yousufzari was given marching orders for pushing the referee.

Chhetri scored from the ensuring spot-kick but had to retake it due to intrusion from Syed Rahim Nabi inside the box. The India number 11 sent the substitute Bashir Ahmad Darman, after winger Ghulam Hoddein had to be sacrificed, the wrong way to help side surge ahead.

With a man down Afghanistan were always susceptible to concede more goals with Faisal Safa receiving treatment on the sidelines, Chhetri played Miranda who took a shot from his unfavoured right foot into the far side of the goal.

Chhetri ran with the ball from the left and laid the ball across for Jeje who from his second touch slotted the ball home.

Substitute Sushil Singh scored a gem of a goal as he scored a goal with the final kick of the match.

That goal turned out to be the last piece of action in the game as the referee blew the final whistle to send the Indian fans, staff and players into delirium as they celebrated another SAFF Championship triumph.

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Match Preview:India vs Afganistan

PROBABLE LINEUPS

INDIA Karanjit; Nirmal, Gawli, Gourmangi, Nabi; Pereira, Lamare, Climax(c), Miranda; Jeje, Sunil

AFGHANISTAN Yousufzai; Faisal, Maqadar, Haroon, Djelaluddin; Israfeel, Mashriqi, Ata Yamir Ali, Waheed; Ahmadi, Arezou

Just over a week ago, when India kicked off their SAFF Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw with Afghanistan, an eerie silence and a sense of disappointment was prevalent in the Indian camp, as they felt it was two points dropped against a nation from whom not much was expected.Coming back to the present, India finds itself in its seventh final of the SAFF Championship. However the focus is entirely on the Afghanistani team, who have fast become the story of the tournament. A motley group of players, scattered across the world, some of them part-timers, have come together and astounded one and all with their performances in the competition by reaching the finals for the first time in their history.
Yousef Kargar’s side have not only shown great team ethic and workrate, they have also been surprisingly skillful on the ball and are not scared of a physical battle either. Coming into the game after a physically shattering but morale boosting triumph over Nepal, the Lions of Khorasan shall definitely give it their best shot when they come up against India.

India Exercise Caution After Bruising Group Tie....

The hosts meanwhile have also progressed well after that first match against Afghanistan. Having brushed aside Bhutan and Sri Lanka, India also dominated the match against Maldives to set up this final clash against Afghanistan.
While everyone expects India to run away with the trophy, Savio Medeira and his boys know that there is no place for complacency against the Afghans, especially after the first group match debacle.
Medeira knows that Afghanistan, having made the final for the first time and with the vociferous support of their war-ravaged nation with them, definitely will need no more motivation to give their best and with India playing infront of their home fans, the pressure to win shall entirely be on the Indians.
Both the teams go into the final with no injury worries and both the coaches shall have their full roster to choose from.

MEN TO WATCH OUT FOR

Balal Arezou: All of 22 years, the striker has the responsibility of adding that touch of class upfront for the Afghans. Based in Norway, Arezou has dovetailed well with his strike partner Sanjar Ahmadi and has in general been a nuisance to deal with for opposition defenders as he has bought a unique style of skills mixed with physicality.

Center Of Attack For Afghanistan Led By Their Skipper

Tied as the top scorer with Sunil Chhetri at six goals, Arezou’s eyes shall definitely be on scoring the winner which shall combine personal glory with a historic moment in Afghanistan’s football history.
Syed Rahim Nabi: India’s Mr. Versatile has been under-rated within India for far too long. While Jeje Lalpekhlua, Chhetri and Subrata Paul have hogged the limelight in recent years, Nabi has continued to be one of India’s most consistent and dependable players.

For The Sake Of Crying Out Loud, Here's Nabi

Capable of playing anywhere on either wing, Nabi has been holding the Indian defence together during these SAFF Championship, keeping all the opposition players at bay on his wing, while at the same time covering for his defensive colleagues. He has also penned the opposition players back with his barnstorming runs down the wing and got India rolling against Maldives with the crucial opener.
The Mohun Bagan player could finally announce his arrival as a National star for India in the match against Afghanistan.

DID YOU KNOW?

• India and Afghanistan, the two finalists, are the only two teams in the competition who did not employ a foreign coach.

• Sunil Chhetri and Balal Arezou are both tied on six goals at the top of the scoring sheet. If either of them manage to score in the final then they shall break I.M Vijayan’s record of six goals in the 1997 Championship.

• Afghanistan’s best performance in an international competition before this SAFF Championship was the fourth place finish in the 1951 Asian Games, ironically played at the same venue as the final.

• The two teams have faced each other 13 times with India winning an astonishing 10 times with the Afghans winning just once.

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SAFF Wrap:India beat Maldives 3-1

A day of rest and a chance to book their place in the final saw India raise their performance several notches higher to go past ten-men Maldives in the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

Sunil Chhetri’s spot-kick turned out to be the difference between the two sides after Shamweel Qasim had cancelled out Syed Rahim Nabi’s first half goal. The Delhi lad scored another at the death to become the competition’s leading goalscorer with six goals.

India shall play the winner of the Afghanistan versus Nepal semi-final on December 11 at the same venue.


Maldives coach Istvan Urbanyi made one change in the starting line-up from the previous match as he included Mohamed Sifan in place of Mohamed Arif. On the other hand, India preferred to go with the same starting eleven.

The very second minute saw Clifford Miranda’s shot from the left being parried by Imran Mohammed with Jeje Lalpekhlua’s shot went over the bar.

A couple of minutes later, it was Ali Ashfaq who did well to cut in from the right and his shot, under pressure from Rocus Lamare, went wide. He had another shy on goal which didn’t bother Indian goalkeeper Karanjit Singh.

Imran Mohammed had to dive to his left to keep the scoreline intact as Jeje’s header from Syed Nabi’s cross was on its way in.

Sunil Chhetri’s attempt from the top of the box after Jeje did well to find him in space brought no rewards as the ball went sailing over the bar.

India kept dominating the possession as they launched several attacks while the opposition weren’t seeing much of the ball to create anything noteworthy.

It was Syed Nabi who opened the scoring as he knocked in a Clifford Miranda’s free-kick to the far post to send the Indian bench into ecstasy.

Shamweel Qasim’s lofted ball was brilliantly controlled by Ashfaq and held off Gouramangi and ended up side netting just before the half-time.

Ahmed Thariq was almost through on goal with a last ditch tackle by Syed Rahim Nabi averting the danger for India.

After the break, Maldives came out all guns blazing as it was Akram Abdul Gani’s cross from the left which Thariq headed but Karanjit Singh punched it over for a corner.

Urbanyi’s side were pressing much better and it seemed that the half-time team talk worked.

The equaliser came around the hour mark when Akram Abdul Gani found Shamweel Qasim whose peach of a shot gave Karanjit no chance whatsoever.

India were given a lifeline when referee Timur Faizullin awarded a soft penalty when Mohamed Umair appeared to have pulled down Chhetri inside the box. Chhetri sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to restore the lead.

Akram Abdul Gani from inside the box sent a ball across the face of the goal which only needed a touch from the outstretched leg of Ahmed Thariq after Karanjit was beaten.

Maldives threw way too many bodies ahead and from a counter, Chhetri crossed for substitute Jewel Raja but the Mohun Bagan midfielder missed it completely.

India had another couple of decent opportunities to add to the scoreline which they failed to capitalise on. However Chhetri had other ideas as he collected Jeje’s pass between two defenders and slotted home for his second.

In the injury time, Ahmed Thariq was given his marching orders as he picked up his second booking of the match.

That was effectively the last real piece of action in the game as India played down the clock and booked their place in the Final.

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India thrashed Sri Lanka 3-0 and reach the semi-final

The defending champions shall face Maldives in the first semi-final of the SAFF Championship as they finished runners-up in Group A after defeating Sri Lanka 3-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

Two second half goals from Jeje Lalpekhlua and Sunil Chhetri , and an own goal by Bandara Warakagoda, helped India go past the Lankans who failed to threaten the Indian backline

India and Afghanistan finished on the same number of points and the head-to-head wouldn’t matter given they played out a 1-1 draw among them. Afghanistan enjoy a better goal difference of +9 when compared to India’s +8.

Savio Medeira made no changes to the line-up from the last match while Sri Lanka brought in Chathura Gunarathna back into the first eleven after having recovered from a bout of flu.


The first chance befell the Men in Blue when Sujan Perera, the Sri Lankan custodian, tried to play the ball out for a goal-kick but gives away a free-kick on the edge of the box. Clifford Miranda’s delivery left a lot to be desired.

Thereafter the game got into a lull mode wherein neither team showed any urgency to win and the pace of the game was too slow which deprived the audience any worthwhile action.

The ball was being aimlessly put forward by the defences of the two sides and the midfield lacked creativity which made the strikers look clueless.

It was in the 39th minute that Chhetri went down the left flank to send in a looping cross which Syed Rahim Nabi, after making a great run from the back, makes a bad connection and the opportunity went begging.

The best moment of the half came when Jeje’s shot on the turn touched the cross-bar on its way out.

India finally managed to get a breakthrough in the 53rd minute when Jeje side footed it in after Chhetri, who was found in space by Anthony Pereira, saw his shot being parried over. A defensive lapse by the Island nation cost them dear.

Jeje could have scored his second of the evening but decided to set-up his strike partner who shot it way over the bar around the hour mark.

Sri Lanka left too much space for the Indian strikers to work around and gave away some needless free-kicks which didn’t help their cause either.

Credit must go to Sujan Perera who kept his side in the game when he tipped over a firm shot from Chhetri from outside the box.

India’s second came through Chhetri who outjumped Danushka Vijesiri to head home from a Clifford Miranda cross.

Towards the end, substitute Sushil Singh put Chhetri through but the striker’s shot went wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Sushil, himself, had an opportunity to score when his header at the near post from a Steven Dias free-kick was collected by the rival goalkeeper.

The final nail in the coffin came in the end when Bandara Warakagoda scored an own goal from a Steven Dias cross in the injury time.

That bought to an end a positive second half performance by India, which saw them run away 3-0 winners on the night and book a place in the semi-finals versus Maldives.

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India not to take Afghanistan lightly

Seeking their sixth title in the regional showpiece football tournament, India would look to open their SAFF Championships campaign on a positive note when they take on Afghanistan on Saturday.

India, playing their first tournament under new coach Savio Medeira, start as favourites against the lowest ranked team among the eight participating nations but the home team can take their rivals lightly at their own peril in the Group A match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

In the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad, India could only beat Afghanistan by a solitary goal in the injury time (90+2) in the campaign opener.

India are also a bit down on morale after their 0-5 thrashing by Zambia in the international friendly on November 29 and they would want to begin the tournament with a win.

Medeira, who was deputy to then coach Bob Houghton in the AFC Challenge Cup match, refused to take Afghanistan lightly and said his men will have to give their best to earn full points on Saturday.

"In football, the team which plays better on that particular day wins. We have prepared ourselves to the best of our ability and the boys are going to give their 100 per cent. That is important. We are confident that we can beat Afghanistan. But at the same time, we are not taking them lightly," Medeira said after team`s training session at Ambedkar Stadium.

India will, however, be boosted by the return of two strikers Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua, who did not play against Zambia as they were away in Scotland for a trial at Glasgow Rangers.

Medeira did not say that the strike duo would start tomorrow but they are expected to play a part in the match depending on the situation of the game.

"They are the best strikers available in the country. But whether they will play or not will be decided at the team meeting tomorrow," Medeira said.

The back-four of Gouramangi Singh, Mahesh Gawli, Samir Naik and Syed Rahim Nabi leaked goals against Zambia but Medeira is unlikely to tinker with the line-up unless the last two, who are having niggles, do not take the field tomorrow.

Striker Joaquim Abranches is another player, who is nursing a niggle but Medeira said there was no need to worry. Sushil Kumar is the fourth striker named in the 20-member final Indian squad.

Captain Climax Lawrence is expected to partner either Jewel Raja or Rocus Lamare at the centre of the park.

Afghanistan, only the second team in the competition along with India to have a home-grown coach in Mohammed Farid, have a couple of players who play in German third division and they would be looking to upset the Indian applecart if possible.

India Squad:


Karanjit Singh, Subhashish Roy Chaudhari, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Mahesh Gawli, Nirmal Chettri, Samir Naik, Syed Rahim Nabi, Govin Singh, Gouramangi Singh, Climax Lawrence (C), Anthony Pereira, Clifford Miranda, Jewel Raja, Lalrindika Ralte, Steven Dias, Rocus Lamare, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sushil Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Joaquim Abranches. 

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SAFF Championship: Nepal 1 Maldives 1

Nepal and the Maldives played out a 1-1 draw in their South Asian Football Federation Championship clash in New Delhi on Friday.

The Maldives led at half-time thanks to a 25-yard strike by Ali Ashfaq, which came against the run of play.

It took just six minutes for Nepal to equalize when Sandip Rai headed home from a Raju Tamang corner kick to send their fans into hysterics.

The result leaves all four teams in Group B on one point, following Bangladesh and Pakistan's scoreless draw.

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Bangladesh and Pakistan faced an 0-0 draw

Bangladesh were held to a 0-0 draw by Pakistan in their South Asian Football Federation Championship Group B clash in New Delhi on Friday.

It was Pakistan who had the first shot on goal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, as Atif Bashir's attempt saw Bangladesh's goalkeeper Sahidul Alam beaten, only to see the shot go wide of the target.

Bangladesh looked to keep the ball on the ground, and build attacking forays from their back four.

The Tigers did earn multiple free-kicks in the opposition's half, but Pakistani goalkeeper Jafar Khan was up to the task.

Pakistan had an ideal chance to open the scoring in the 24th minute as a Jadeed Khan Pathan's cross from the right saw Alam misjudge the flight of the ball. The onrushing Faisal Iqbal had an easy tap in opportunity, but he sprayed his shot over the bar.

Six minutes later, Alam had to come off his line in order to deny Bashir after the Bangladesh defence failed to keep an eye on the Pakistan front man.

Jadeed Khan Pathan once again was the provider of a decent cross which Saddam Hussain, under no pressure, sent over the bar, as the Pakistanis wasted another gilt-edged chance.

Bangladesh recovered before the end of the first half when Pranotosh Das' long-range effort saw Khan fumble before the ball was cleared.

Star striker Jahid Hassan Ameli had a couple of opportunities to score after Islam Maun's header came off the crossbar, before the half-time whistle was blown.

The second half saw Bangladesh bring on strikers Mithun Chowdhury and Atiqur Meshu, hoping to maintain their momentum late in the first 45 minutes, in order to push for a winner.

The move looked to have paid dividends as Meshu brought in the much-needed pace and sent in some tantalizing crosses from the left.

But despite both sides pushing for a winner, the teams were forced to settle for a point, with Pakistan's custodian Khan awarded man of the match honours.

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India to face Pak for SAFF Championship

A 22-member Pakistan football team landed in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to participate in the SAFF Championships which begins on Friday.


Pakistan are in Group B along with Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal while defending champions and hosts India are in Group A with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the semifinals in the December 2-11 regional tournament to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.


Pakistan captain Jaffar Khan said his team aims to win the hearts of Indian people during their tour, which will mark the revival of sporting ties between two neighbouring countries.

"We are the first team to visit India for a long time and I hope that with our good conduct and play we leave a good impression of Pakistan in India," Khan, who is also the goalkeeper of the side, said at Lahore International Airport before leaving for India.

"We are going to try to win the championship no matter how tough our matches are," he added.

Pakistan will open their campaign on Friday against Bangladesh, followed by matches against Maldives on December 4 and Nepal December 6.

India froze all sporting relations with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by militants from across the border.

But a recent thaw in the relationship has led to hopes of a resumption of full sporting ties between the two nations.

Pakistan football team is being coached by Serbian Zavisa Milosavljevich, who was hired last month. 

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