Bengaluru, India (4th July) - India beat Kuwait 4-5 on penalties in the SAFF Championship final Tuesday night to be crowned Champions for the 9th time in the tournament's history.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes and there was no change in the score line at the end of two halves of extra time.
Kuwait took the lead in the 14th minute through Shabib Al Khaldi’s goal but India levelled the score in the 38th minute when winger Lallianzuala Chhangte scored.
In the penalty shootout, India’s Captain Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jingan, Chhangte and Subhaish Bose all converted from the spot. The Indian winger missed his penalty kick.
For Kuwait, Mohammad Abdulla Daham missed their first spot kick while Fawaz Al Otaibi, Ahmed Al Dhefiri, Abdul Aziz Naji and Shabib Ali Khaldi converted from the spot.
India’s 6th spot kick was converted by Mahesh Singh. Kuwaiti captain Khalid El Ibrahim’s crucial 6th spot kick was saved by Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh to kick off the celebrations of more than 26,000 packed to support the India team in the Sree Kantreeva Stadium in Bengaluru.
India was the champion of the 2021 edition of the SAFF Championship as well. India also won the title in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, and 2015.
