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India beat Afghanistan 2-1 in the final of the 2015 SAFF Championship in Thiruvananthapuram to give the Blue Tigers their seventh win in the competition. Goals from Jeje Lalpekhlua and Sunil Chhetri saw India come from behind after they went down 1-0 to a Zubayr Amiri goal.With the score tied at 1-1 after the 90 minutes, the match went into extra time and that was when Chhetri rose to the occasion to slot home the winner in a match that also saw Afghanistan coach Petar Segrt sent to the stands.Here are the major talking points from the game.VIDEO: @AiffMedia lifting the #SAFFSuzukiCup trophy in front of the Champions banner! pic.twitter.com/ggacQctWpL— SAFF Suzuki Cup (@SAFFSuzukiCup) January 3, 2016Images courtesy of SAFF
#1 Opportunities few and far between in first half
The stakes couldn’t have been higher and it was evident tonight on the pitch. Both teams were happy to feel each other out in the early stages and what ensued was a cagey 45 minutes.
The Indians were guilty of making some cynical tackles outside their penalty box but the Afghans failed to really test them. The likes of Faisal and captain Shayesteh tried their best to improvise but failed to penetrate the Indian defence in the first half.
At the other end, the Blue Tigers never really got going. Jeje and Chhetri were crowded out in the final third and rarely failed to muster a dangerous attack. Both teams were reluctant to make the first mistake and understandably so. In fact, India often turned to defender Narayan Das to help them unlock the Afghan defence from the left wing.
#2 Narayan Das put in a herculean effort tonight
Picture this; it is the final and the opposition is running the game like a boss. During such hard times, you would want your defenders to be in the best mental state possible. 22-year-old Narayan Das was one of India’s best players on the pitch.
The commentators hardly even mentioned his name over the course of the entire game, but Das was at his defensive best tonight. Tactically, he was spot on.
India’s first choice left-back coerced the Afghan wingers into running centrally rather than on the wings. The Indians did well to flood the centre of the field when defending and, quite often, the Afghans found themselves in traffic.
Das was equally active in India’s attacking moves and whipped in numerous dangerous crosses into the box, even forcing the goalkeeper into making a save late in the game.
#3 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu kept India in the game
It certainly looks like Gurpreet’s stint with Norwegian outfit Stabaek in the Tippeligaen has done him a lot of good. India’s shot stopper thoroughly imposed himself on the pitch tonight and bossed his penalty box. He did extremely well to keep the Afghans at bay for large periods of the match.
Midfielder Zazai peppered him with a few stinging shots but Gurpreet Singh made himself big and thwarted the Afghans. The 23-year-old also distributed the ball very effectively. His goal kicks were massive and travelled the distance.
He distributed the ball into dangerous pockets and made it extremely difficult for the Afghan defenders to read the ball. More importantly, he looked self-assured inside his box and marshaled his back four ably.
Today, Gurpreet passed another sturdy test in International football.
#4 Afghanistan picked a trick or two from the Indians
Over the course of the tournament, we have been discussing India’s wing play and its effectiveness in the final third. But the Afghans tonight played the Indians at their own game. Throughout the second half, they were intent on attacking from the wings and committed numbers for the same.
Holicharan Narzary and Bikash Jairu were stretched marking the Afghan wingers all night long. This meant they were often not available when India broke on the counter-attack. Ironically, though, Afghanistan’s first goal originated from the centre after Faysal picked out Zubayr Amiri with an inch perfect pass in between the Indian centre-backs. The striker’s left footed lash zipped past goalkeeper Gurpreet.
The Afghans had five corners to their name and were incessant in their pressure from both the wings all night long.
#5 Sunil Chhetri scores his 50th goal for India
With 100 minutes of football behind them, both teams looked extremely worn out and exhausted. But Sunil Chhetri had other plans.
Just minutes before his goal, the Indian captain cut a frustrating figure in the Afghan half. He attempted a couple of tricks and runs, none of which came off. But he showed what typifies the hallmark of a truly wonderful striker.
Trapped between the two towering Afghan centre-backs, Chhetri made a nuisance of himself in the penalty box. The ball did not fall kindly to him. He had to power past the two defenders and hardly had any room to let loose a shot.
His weak yet important effort slowly crept into the Afghan keeper’s net. His winner means he has now bettered I M Vijayan’s record as India’s highest scorer in the SAFF Cup with 13 goals to his name and it was his 50th in all competitions as India were crowned the SAFF Champions of 2015.
