In a nail-biting thriller, India beat Kuwait by 5-4 in penalties to win the SAFF Championship 2023 in Bengaluru on Tuesday. In the record-breaking victory, India became the first team to win this title nine times. As both teams were tied 1-1 after 120 minutes in the summit clash, things went into penalties. After five rounds of penalty kicks, the score remained 4-4 until sudden death was introduced.
India’s Mahesh Naorem scored in sudden death, while India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved Khaled Hajiah’s shot to help the side achieve a thrilling victory. Earlier, Shabaib Al Khaldi put Kuwait ahead in the 14th minute of normal time until Lallianzuala Chhangte levelled in the 39th minute. Defending champions India and Kuwait had also drawn 1-1 in their previous group encounter.
This was India’s second victory in a penalty shootout. They advanced to the summit match after defeating Lebanon 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the semifinals on July 1. Sandhu had also made an important stop in the shootout at the time. It’s worth noting that skipper Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chhangte, Subasish Bose, and Mahesh converted penalties for India, while Udanta Singh missed.
Indian footballer Jeakson Singh raises the Manipuri flag
As Manipur is suffering from riots and things are not getting better, Indian footballer Jeakson Singh used the SAFF Championship stage to raise flags in support of peace. During India’s SAFF Cup championship medal ceremony, Jeakson Singh stood out by donning a multi-coloured flag known as the “Manipur flag.”
Jeakson explained that he wore the flag as a symbol of unification and a cry for peace in his state, receiving a lot of attention and respect from bystanders. “It’s my Manipur flag. I just wanted to tell everyone in India and Manipur to stay in peace and not fight. I want peace,” he told ESPN.
Here is how fans reacted to India’s victory in the SAFF Championship:
Gurpreet ??
— Rahul Varma (@urscoolrahul) July 4, 2023
is there any chance of India featuring in 2026 Fifa
— Tanish (@tanish_virat) July 4, 2023
Here supporters want to see the TEAM to win unlike cricket where most of them want their favourite player to play well and the one they hate fails. Hope worshipism will end in ICT as well. Hope the fans and players will put the team first.
— jugal.gaud (@im_gaud) July 4, 2023
Haven't seen the tweet but I am sure Mallu must have tweeted about Iyer coming to watch Saff final but won't have tweeted about India winning it
— B. /? 2-0 #Aus (@mcg82__) July 4, 2023
Congrats to Indian team..Sunil Chetri's team deserves a WC.. Hopefully we can see IFT in 10 to 15 years in a WC of top 32..
— Hamza Javed ?? (@im_Hamza18) July 4, 2023
Bc… Cricket wale hi nalle h… Inhe facilities bhi nhi mil rhi aur performance de rhe
— Dr. Dang (@thakursahab_420) July 4, 2023
— Ayush Agarwal (@AyushAg444) July 4, 2023
— Gaurav Agarwal (@7Gaurav8) July 4, 2023
Do you know when we will play Fifa World cup?
When we'll start saying "We've defeated Kuwait" instead of "They've defeated Kuwait".— Arijit Goswami (@ArijitG46442518) July 4, 2023
No TV channel is even showing this ?
— DEEPAK JAIN (@jaindeepak2509) July 4, 2023
Where can I watch the highlights of this match??
— Aakash ? (@AakashNikam9) July 4, 2023
Hero of today's match ?https://t.co/EhRJZJXo5F
— Dhaval Patel (@CricCrazy0) July 4, 2023
Proud of u guys ??????? pic.twitter.com/GryZCtRadR
— Memes.of.macho.7 (@Memesoflegends7) July 4, 2023
The Wall Gurpreet Singh had done it. ???
— DK (@CricCrazyDK) July 4, 2023
