SAFF Championship: Blue Tigers roar into semis

Bengaluru, June 24

Captain Sunil Chhetri found the target yet again as India beat a spirited Nepal 2-0 in their second group match to book a berth in the SAFF Championship semifinals here today.

Chhetri (61st minute) scored his fourth goal of the tournament before Mahesh Singh (70th) struck to notch up the home side’s second consecutive win. India had beaten Pakistan 4-0 in their opening match on Wednesday with Chhetri scoring a hat-trick.

Chhetri (91 goals from 139 matches) had already become the second-most prolific scorer among the Asians Iranian Ali Daei (109 from 148 matches) leads the charts and third among active players in the world. He is the most prolific goalscorer among the active Asian players.

With six points from two wins, India qualified for the semifinals from Group A along with Kuwait (also six points).

India play Kuwait on Tuesday to decide the group winner. Nepal and Pakistan are out of the reckoning for a semifinals spot as they lost two matches each.

Before India broke the deadlock, they had to ward off a strong fight from Nepal. India entered the match with big changes as only Chhetri, Anirudh Thapa and Sahal Abdul Samad retained their places in the starting XI from their previous match against Pakistan.

Nepal ran India close for much of the first half with a fine display of solid defence and quick counterattacks.

The first clear chance of the match came Sahal’s way but his header from a cross sailed just wide of the goal post in the 21st minute.

Nepal could have gone 1-0 up in the match had Bimal Ghatri been a bit quicker with his shot as it was kicked away by Rohit Kumar close to the goal-line in the 34th minute.

In the 41st minute, Mahesh Singh Naorem, who made a fine run down the right flank, jinked a lovely cross to Sahal inside the box but the latter overran the ball and could not execute a volley.

India showed more urgency and purpose in the second half, and the result came their way in the 61st minute.

Sahal and Mahesh engaged themselves in a lighting one-two to evade Nepalese defence before finding an unmarked Chhetri inside the box, who just had to beat goalkeeper Kiran Limbu.

The goal energised the Indian players and they continued the search for the cushion with Sahal marshalling the midfield brilliantly. The Keralite, along with Mahesh, worked the engine room of India in the second half.

The second goal was a tribute to Sahal’s speed and skills. The midfielder made a run through the centre and his pass found Chhetri but his shot deflected off Limbu.

However, Mahesh Singh was in the right place to head the ball into the net in the 70th minute as India gained a decisive 2-0 lead. PTI

Kuwait beat Pakistan, face India in semis

Bengaluru: Kuwait thrashed Pakistan 4-0 in their second group match to virtually seal a semifinals spot today. Pakistan were hoping for an improved performance after a shoddy outing against India, but they had no answer to the absolute dominance of Kuwait. This was Kuwait’s second win of the tournament after they beat Nepal 3-1 in their first Group A match.