India emerged as the champions of the Bangabandhu SAFF Championship, defeating Kuwait 5-4 in a tiebreaker after the 90-minute game ended in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday at the SreeKanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India.
Both teams scored one goal each in the first half, but neither side could break the deadlock during the stipulated 90 minutes and an additional 30-minute period, leading to a tiebreaker.
Despite an impressive performance, Bangladesh, who reached the semifinals of the SAFF Championship after 14 years, unfortunately got eliminated from the competition with a solitary goal defeat against Kuwait.
Bangladesh's goalkeeper, Anisur Rahman Zico, was awarded the best goalkeeper of the tournament, while Sunil Chetri, the star striker of India, received the awards for the best player and highest scorer.
During the penalty shootout, both teams successfully converted their targets four times from the first five spot kicks, with each side missing one opportunity. In sudden death, India scored while Kuwait failed to convert, securing the hosts their ninth SAFF title.
The final was closely contested, with India enjoying 52 percent possession and Kuwait with 48 percent.
Kuwait took 14 shots, while India had seven shots on target, resulting in one goal each.
Notably, Kuwait and Lebanon were the two invited teams participating in the SAFF Championship for the first time, adding excitement to the competition.
Kuwait took an early lead in the 14th minute through Shabib Al Khalid (1-0). However, the host nation, India, equalized through LallianzualaChhangte in the 38th minute. Both sides made concerted efforts and came close to scoring but failed to capitalize on their chances. Ultimately, the result was decided by the tiebreaker, with India emerging as the victors.
