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‘Bass ek baar World Cup pahuch jaye’ - Indian fans elated as India beat Kuwait on penalties in final of SAFF Championship 2023

India beat Kuwait 5-4 on penalties to win South Asian Championship 2023. Here's how the match unfolded and fans reactions.

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India win SAFF Championship 2023

India win SAFF Championship 2023 (Source: Twitter)

At the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the Indian men's football team defeated Kuwait 5-4 in a dramatic penalty shootout to claim the SAFF Championship 2023 title. After winning the Intercontinental Cup last month, India now has two consecutive victories in major finals.

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The game was decided on penalties after regulation time concluded with a score of 1-1 and neither team was able to score in overtime. In sudden death, Kuwait's captain Hajjeia missed the crucial penalty kick. Lallianzuala Chhangte, the newly named AIFF Player of the Year, tied the score for India in the final minute of regulation after Shabaib Al Khaldi had given Kuwait's football team the lead earlier in the first period (14').

‘As a goalkeeper, all I want to do is make the penalty-taker's job tough’ – Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

"As a goalkeeper, all I want to do is make the penalty-taker's job tough. I try to stay big until the last moment, choose a side, and get a hand to the ball," Sandhu said after the intense shootout.  "You can't save every penalty. But you try to know what the taker is thinking. Someone will try to trick you, someone will come with a pre-decided shot. The experience and physicality help. If I'm five-foot-four, I wouldn't have saved that penalty, for sure," he added.

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Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli was full of appreciation for the Indian Goalkeeper. "His save gave a lot of confidence to our players, who came to take the next penalties," he said. He also said the Indian players led by Sunil Chhetri decided among themselves the order of spot-kick takers. "It is the players' decision (to step up for penalties). They have freedom. Whoever has the confidence goes up to take the penalties," he revealed.

This is the ninth time that the Indian Team has emerged as victors in the SAFF Championships. The Indian football team finished the group stage with victories against Pakistan and Nepal while drawing with Kuwait, and they then defeated Lebanon in the semifinals to get to the final game.

Here’s how fans reacted:

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India featured Twitter Reactions