India vs Kuwait result in SAFF Championship 2023: The Blue Tigers were able to only secure one point through their 1-1 draw against Kuwait. And in the process, they finished second in Group A with Kuwait having scored one more goal.
It was a heated encounter between the two teams in the final group stage matchday of the SAFF Championship 2023. Arguments broke out several times between the two sets of players, continuing the recent trend at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.
Sunil Chhetri scored the first goal of the game from a corner to extend his tally to 92 international goals. The Indian skipper has been in sensational form this year, and is the top scorer in the SAFF Championship with five goals to his name so far.
India started off the match in a remarkable manner, picking up the momentum right from the get-go. However, Kuwait was able to grow back into the match after the half-hour mark.
Igor Stimac’s men showed great chemistry throughout the pitch and worked as a cohesive unit throughout the match. They have been excellent defensively all the way back from the Hero Intercontinental Cup and were yet to concede a single goal across the two tournaments.
Kuwait was denied a goal later on in the game by Amrinder Singh, with the goalkeeper called into making an important save. India head coach Igor Stimac was sent off once again, after yet another heated conversation with the referees. He will miss the next match due to suspension but will be back right after serving the one-game suspension.
The play would find repeat iterations through the first half. The common factor: an Indian midfield pressing move – executed efficiently and then capitalised on with a ball sent to the wings. That ball would then be pinged into the box – no crosses that would place uncharacteristic expectations on Chhetri to meet — but rather grounded, swift balls that would narrowly miss the Indian striker or be cleared by Kuwait’s scampering backline.
The brawl between the two teams continued close to full-time, with matters getting physical after Sahal Samad was pushed. Substitute Rahim Ali got involved by running into Al Qallaf, who shoved Samad and was given marching orders alongside the Kuwait player for their indiscipline on the field.
In injury time, a botched clearance from Indian center-back Anwar Ali caused the ball to end up in the back of the net, with India conceding for the first time since the Intercontinental Cup. And in hindsight, they should have scored a second goal at the very least, with the game in their grasp for the most part.
In spite of the draw, the Blue Tigers remain one of the favorites to lift the trophy in the end.
Kuwait topped Group A on better goal difference, followed by India. Both sides, having won their earlier matches, have already qualified for the semifinals. Nepal and Pakistan are the other teams in Group A.
In another Group A match, Nepal defeated Pakistan by 1-0 yesterday. From Group B, Lebanon and Bangladesh registered wins in their second games on Sunday to keep their semi-final