SAFF Championship 2023 Final: Five talking points from India’s ecstatic triumph over Kuwait

The Blue Tigers won the SAFF Championship title after a daunting penalty shootout.

India have defeated Kuwait to lift their ninth SAFF Championship. In what was a pretty close and exciting affair, India went a goal down in the 14th minute, but bounced back around the 39th-minute mark. 

A goalless contest in the second half and in extra time, therefore resulted in a penalty shootout in order to decide the fate of the two teams. After five penalties apiece, the shootout reached sudden death, wherein Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made an excellent save to send the Blues to fairyland.

Here are the five talking points from the game.

5. A historic victory

India’s victory against Kuwait has been a testament of the incredible progress that Indian football has made in the past decade.

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From losing out to Kuwait 9-1 about a decade ago, to defeating them in the finals of the SAFF Championship 2023, is something each and every Indian ought to be proud of. The country's sport is going in the right direction! Also, this is India’s first-ever victory against Kuwait.

4. Incredible defensive shift

Despite conceding a goal early in the game, India’s defence was incredible throughout the 120 minutes. The pairing of Sandesh Jhingan and Mehtab Singh did a commendable job whilst being under immense pressure, courtesy the Kuwaiti attack. Also, credit goes to Akash Mishra and Nikhil Poojary for their tireless shift on either flanks.

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3. Gurpreet turns up big for India

India’s wall Gurpreet Singh Sandhu once again proved his worth tonight, and made some spectacular saves.

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But his biggest contribution came with the final kick of the game, as the big man successfully saved Kuwait skipper Khaled Hajiah’s penalty in the shootout, and gifted India the victory.

2. Lack of quality in the final third at times

On a night that Indian football scripted history, it seems slightly unfair to draw any negative points about the performance, but the problem of finishing has been persistent in this Indian squad throughout the tournament, as they are often seen missing some incredible chances in the final third.

Much of the pressure seems to be on Sunil Chhetri for converting chances into goals, and it is high time that other players put in their optimum contribution in the goal-scoring department.

1. A good fighting spirit by the team

Despite going a goal down in such a high-pressure game, India showed incredible fighting spirit to bounce back stronger. Right after conceding, India made some incredible chances, and were much more dominating in their attacking play. 

As a result of this incredible character and spirit, the Blue Tigers were able to score an incredible team goal to restore parity in the game.