The Indian senior men’s team secured their spot in the semifinals of the Bangabandhu SAFF Championship 2023 with a 2-0 victory over Nepal in Group A. The match took place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, showcasing India’s dominance on home soil with an unbeaten streak of 12 matches. Captain Sunil Chhetri and Naorem Mahesh Singh scored the crucial goals in the second half, propelling India to a well-deserved win. Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli stood in for the suspended Igor Stimac on the touchline, guiding the team to success.
Earlier in the day, Kuwait defeated Pakistan 4-0, securing their place in the semifinals alongside India from Group A. Meanwhile, Nepal, the finalists of the previous edition, were eliminated from the tournament.
The Indian team underwent several changes from their previous match against Pakistan, with eight alterations to the starting lineup. Sunil Chhetri, Anirudh Thapa, and Sahal Abdul Samad were the only players retained in the eleven, while Rahul Bheke made his first start of the month in the revamped backline.
The game began at a slower pace compared to the previous encounter. India enjoyed significant possession in the early stages, frequently launching attacks from the left wing through the likes of Akash Mishra, Naorem Mahesh Singh, and Sahal Abdul Samad, who occasionally drifted wide.
Sahal had the first significant opportunity of the game in the 16th minute when Akash delivered a cross from the by-line. Unfortunately, Sahal side-footed the ball wide. Nepal responded immediately with their first shot on target as Arik Bista’s first-time volley was expertly saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who parried away Mehtab Singh’s clearance.
Manish Dangi of Nepal caused trouble for the Indian defense from the right flank. However, a crucial interception by Rohit Kumar halted Nepal’s progress, enabling India to launch a counter-attack. Sahal, in a three-on-three situation, lost possession as he took too long to pick out a pass.
India emerged revitalized after the break, with Mahesh coming close to scoring with a snapshot from distance. The breakthrough came in the 61st minute when Sahal and Mahesh combined brilliantly, resulting in Mahesh delivering a precise low cross for Sunil Chhetri. Chhetri effortlessly tapped in his 91st international goal, breaking the deadlock.
Less than 10 minutes later, India doubled their lead through a rather peculiar goal from Mahesh. After Sahal played Chhetri through on goal, the captain’s left-footed shot deflected off goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu and hit the crossbar twice before Mahesh bundled it into the net from close range.
Limbu continued to showcase his skills, making two impressive saves to deny the fiery Indian offense. He first kept out Lallianzuala Chhangte’s shot from a narrow angle and then held firm to Rahul Bheke’s header from the subsequent corner.
India’s final Group A match will be against Kuwait on Tuesday, determining the group winner.
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