SAFF Championship: Physically, psychologically superior India outwit Lebanon, into final

At the Kanteerava Stadium, one of Bengaluru’s favourite sons, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu dived big to his left and seized the match-winning moment for India in the penalty shootout. Lebanon captain Hassan Maatouk was devastated. On the other side, India were through to the SAFF Championship 2023 final.

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Our #SAFFChampionship2023 semifinal was a proper nail-biter 😬🤞

🙌 Relive the penalty shootout ft. @GurpreetGK’s heroics and watch the full match highlights on our YouTube channel 👉🏽 https://t.co/mKV5xjVjRb #LBNIND ⚔️ #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/2NJ6VXX0bE

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 1, 2023

One more game added to the Indian football team’s unbeaten streak at home. Lebanon beaten by India for the second consecutive time in little over a fortnight. These are the big takeaways as far as the tournament and the stats are concerned but in the larger picture, it was the Blue Tigers’ temperament and fitness that took the cake. Playing their eighth match in 23 days, coach Igor Stimac and assistant coach Mahesh Gawli had no option but to rotate the players as five changes were made to the first XI from Kuwait draw. Naorem Mahesh Singh, Akash Mishra, Nikhil Poojary, Amrinder Singh and Sandesh Jhingan (suspended) were benched while Gurpreet, Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose, Mehtab Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad were called upon. In front of almost 20,000 vociferous fans, India had a jittery start as the Gulf team dominated the first 10 minutes with Nader Matar even blasting a volley over the bar as early as in the second minute. Lebanon coach Aleksandar Ilic pointed out before the game that his team would want to score the first goal in the semi-final. They had failed to score in the last two meetings with India and in the beginning on Saturday, they were the hungrier side. While it took some time for the Indian side to find their bearings, it started with Jeakson Singh dropping back between the centre-backs to build attacks from the back.

To the ones who make these victories a million times better, YOU GUYS 💙

Thank you, #IndianFootball fans, #SAFFChampionship2023 FINAL NEXT 🏆#LBNIND ⚔️ #BlueTigers 🐯 pic.twitter.com/MZltOtY5wu

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 1, 2023

Edgy in the first few minutes, India took control of the proceedings by shunning the long ball strategy and returning back to their new-found basics — keep the ball and pass the ball. From thereon, it was India dominating the proceedings and Lebanon defending in numbers. However, the hosts lacked teeth when it came to finishing. In the 16th minute, captain Suil Chheteri created a chance with a layoff for Jeakson who in a 1v1 position passed it to Sahal who botched up the shot and was offside as well. Matouk had an opportunity before the end of the first half with a freekick but a diving Gurpreet managed to keep it away. The second half was much subdued even though India’s work rate was top-class and Lebanon’s defending remained resolute. Goalless in 90 minutes, the game progressed to extra-time and Chhetri had two brilliant opportunities in the first half within a span of two minutes. The first shot was saved by goalkeeper Mehdi Khalil and the second was shot over the crossbar. No goals in extra time meant a penalty shootout and while Chhetri, Anwar Ali, Mahesh and Udanta Singh converted their chances, Matouk’s miss spelled elimination for Lebanon. “I think the first 15 minutes we were a bit sloppy and after that we dominated. The intensity until 120 minutes was the same and the credit goes to the boys. If we would have converted our chances, the score would have been 3-0 or 4-0,” Gawli who deputised for Stimac on the touchline said after the match. “I think they read us very well. In the first 15 minutes, they were very fast and quick. They had a good plan but our boys controlled the game and slowly they gained confidence,” he added. Lebanon were higher ranked when they came to India in June for the Intercontinental Cup. But since then India have taken the lead with an entry into the FIFA top 100 rankings and the Gulf nation dropping to 102. Over these eight matches since June, the fitness of the players even when the game was stretched to extra time has been outstanding. Seems like gone are the days when an India team ran out of gas before the 90-minute mark. Gawli credited the long camp for the fitness. Also deserving of praise for the growing standard in Indian football is the Indian Super League (ISL) which has brought professionalism into the sport. “I’d like to say that if you get one week, you can’t do anything. But when you get one month or more (you can increase it). I think we had almost 50 days. Our strength and conditioning coach, Luka (Radman), has done a wonderful job. We have seen our players playing without injuries, and there have been no cramps,” the former defender said. For India now, there’s one more game of this long international window, the final against Kuwait on 4 July. The last India-Kuwait game was a charged-up affair, but India have shown over the last eight games that they are mentally and physically a much-transformed unit now. The west Asian teams have provided a tough challenge, but for the boys who now play with a never-seen-before swag, there’s no ‘Mission Impossible’. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.