India ride captain-striker Sunil Chhetri brace to book SAFF C’ship
Final berth in Maldives
Male, Oct 14 (UNI) India played like champions and thumped Maldives
3-1 at their courtyard of National Football Stadium here
on Wednesday night to book their spot in the 2021 SAFF Championship Final.
Manvir Singh scored the opening goal, while Sunil Chhetri netted a
second-half brace, to hand India the three points.
Maldives striker Ali Ashfaq scored from the spot in the first half,
and was the only scorer for the hosts.
With this win India have now booked themselves a spot in the 2021 SAFF
Championship Final, against Nepal on Saturday, October 16.
It was a frantic start to the match in front of a partisan crowd that
showed its support for the home side. India skipper Chhetri was alert
to chances, and started chasing the Maldives defenders from early on.
He nearly created an opportunity with the pressure, as he won a
tackle, before Suresh picked up a loose ball and was fouled outside
the box. The resulting free-kick, however, crashed into the Maldives
wall, and was soon cleared.
Maldives talismanic striker Ali Ashfaq was also looking for
opportunities of his own, and soon charged at the Indian penalty area,
but was closed down by Rahul Bheke.
Minutes later, Brandon spotted a run by Manvir through the channels,
and he tried to dunk the ball over the Maldivian defence, but the
through pass was intercepted.
A little after the quarter-hour mark, Yasir took up a dangerous
position and crossed it on from the right, but it was cleared for a
corner. The resulting corner from Brandon took a bounce inside the box
before Kotal headed it towards Chhetri. The India captain went for the
jugular, as he attempted a back-volley, which was off target.
As the match neared the half-hour mark, Chhetri came close to scoring
again, as he managed to get a powerful header off a Brandon free-kick.
Agonisingly, though, for the Blue Tigers, the header thudded off the
cross-bar.
Soon after, Ali Ashfaq almost created a chance at the other end, as he
burst into India’s defensive third. Subhasish Bose, however, was alert
to the danger, and put his body on the line to block Ashfaq’s shot.
It was Manvir Singh, on the 33rd minute, who broke the deadlock, when
he was played in behind the Maldivian defence by Brandon, as he
smashed it between keeper Mohamed Faisal and the near post, as the
ball whizzed into the top corner.
Blue Tigers head coach Igor Stimac decided to make his first
substitution in the first half itself, replacing Mandar Rao Dessai,
who was on a yellow card, with Chinglensana Singh.
With five minutes of regulation time left in the first half, Subhasish
could have doubled the lead as he nodded it towards goal, but the ball
was lapped up by the Maldivian keeper.
On the 45th minute, Pritam Kotal was penalised for a foul inside the
box, as the referee pointed to the spot. Maldives talisman Ali Ashfaq
converted the penalty to put the hosts back on level terms at
half-time.
India came out with much gusto after the changeover. Brandon sustained
an injury five minutes into the second half, and was replaced by
Udanta Singh, as Lalengmawia took over the chief playmaking
responsibilities.
Chhetri had a serious crack at goal near the hour mark, when a string
of passes between Chinglensana, Lalengmawia, and Suresh ended up with
the Indian skipper, whose shot went over.
Minutes later, it was Lalengmawia again, who played in a cross for
Manvir. The lanky forward chested the ball into the path of Chhetri,
who blasted it into the back of the net, to put India back in the
lead.
Maldives immediately went looking for the second equaliser of the
night, and earned a free-kick at the edge of the Indian penalty box.
Ashfaq had struck the free-kick to go over the wall and dip as it
neared the goal, but Gurpreet stepped in with an outstretched arm and
tipped it over the bar.
Sunil Chhetri gave India the two-goal cushion in the 71st minute, when
another aerial ball by Lalengmawia into the box was headed by the
India skipper. His header looped over Mohamed Faisal and into the net.
India gaffer Igor Stimac rang in the changes soon enough, with Rahim
Ali, Glan Martins, and Anirudh Thapa replacing Manvir Singh, Sunil
Chhetri, and Md Yasir, respectively.
The India head coach was soon given his marching order by the referee
for a second yellow card.
With the clock running down, Thapa had a late crack on goal in the
last minute of regulation time, off an Udanta cross. However, the
angle was too narrow, and the ball nestled into the side-netting.
With a minute of injury time left on the clock, Subhasish Bose was
also given his marching orders for a second bookable offence, before
the referee finally brought the match to an end, as India made it to
the final of the SAFF Championship 2021.
UNI