SAFF championship : Sunil Chettri’s goal falls short as India held to 1-1 draw against 10-man Bangladesh in the opener.
The SAFF Championship in 2021 will be the 13th edition since its establishment in 1993. This year, it is a biannual international men’s football tournament held in Male, Maldives.
India has won the SAFF Championship a record seven times, making them the most successful nation in the sport. The Maldives, on the other hand, won the previous edition after defeating India 2-1 in the final.
SAFF Championship So Far
SAFF Championship 2021 started on the 1st of October with Srilanka playing against Bangladesh and Bangladesh registering a 0-1 victory over Srilanka. Nepal vs the Maldives follows this on, with Nepal getting over the line with 1-0.
After Talismanic skipper Sunil Chhetri’s 76th international goal, India allowed a 10-man Bangladesh to score a shock goal to play out a 1-1 draw in their SAFF Championships opening here on Monday.
Sunil Chhetri shines
In his 121st appearance for India, Chhetri, 37, scored in the 27th minute, putting him only one goal behind legendary Brazilian Pele (77 goals from 92 matches).
He is presently the fourth-best scorer among active footballers, after Cristiano Ronaldo (111), Lionel Messi (79), and Ali Mabkhout (77).
IT’S A DRAW
India was the superior team in the first half, and despite losing possession frequently, they appeared to be cruising. However, Igor Stimac’s troops could not halt the Bangladeshis’ quick counter-attacking and surrendered a goal in the 74th minute, resulting in a draw.
India started out well, but a quick counter-attack from Bangladesh nearly caught them off guard. Central defender Chinglensana Singh made a crucial clearing when Ibrahim whipped in a low cross from the left for Motin Mia.
In the 61st minute, Bangladesh goalkeeper Rahman produced a double save, blocking efforts from Manvir and Udanta.
After the hour mark, Stimac replaced Colaco with Lalengmawia and Udanta with Rahim Ali. Despite being numerically weaker, the Bangladeshis, who were playing under a new coach following the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, grabbed one back in the 74th minute.
Bangladesh has always been a tough opponent for India, who required a late equaliser in Kolkata to tie the first leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers before winning 2-0 in the second leg.
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