Chhetri Shines as India Overwhelms Tired Pakistan 4-0 in SAFF opener
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It seemed like a Sunil Chhetri show as India dominated a fatigued Pakistan side with a resounding 4-0 victory in the Group A match of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship. The game took place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday night.
Pakistan had endured a grueling 24-hour journey from Mauritius, where they had recently participated in the Four National Cup. Due to the delayed and dramatic issuance of their Indian visas, they arrived in Bengaluru just a few hours before the match.
Originally scheduled to travel to India the previous week, the Pakistani team received their visas only on Monday evening. They hastily took the earliest available flights to Mumbai in order to participate in the tournament. However, facing off against the region's strongest side, the Greenshirts stood little chance.
In the 10th minute, India took the lead as Chhetri, South Asia's finest forward, capitalized on a slight error by goalkeeper Saqib Hanif and found the back of the net. Chhetri continued to showcase his prowess by doubling India's lead in the 15th minute from a penalty awarded for a handball.
Emotions ran high towards the end of the first half. With a supportive and boisterous crowd chanting "We will rock you," India was leading. However, their head coach, Igor Stimac, impulsively intercepted Abdullah Iqbal as he was retrieving the ball for a throw-in. This led to a clash between players from both sides, resulting in Stimac receiving a red card and Pakistani head coach Shahzad Anwar being shown a yellow card for interruption.
At halftime, India held a comfortable 2-0 lead. The second half proved to be a challenging sight for Pakistan, although they managed to keep the hosts at bay for most of it. However, a rough tackle on Chhetri led to another penalty being awarded to India, and Chhetri completed his hat trick in the 74th minute. Udanta Singh added a fourth goal for India.
Pakistan appeared fatigued, occasionally overwhelmed, and their mistakes reflected their tired state. Prior to the match, Coach Anwar had acknowledged that his team was considerably weaker than India, making it seem like a more participatory exercise for Pakistan rather than a genuine attempt to win. Anwar expressed a desire for SAFF to reschedule the match, considering the team's extensive travel before the game.
Meanwhile, Easah Sulaiman commented after the match that the team had been traveling and had also missed out on three days of training. He acknowledged that India was a stronger side to contend with. Despite the rainy conditions, Chhetri and his team celebrated their victory, emphasizing that they played for the fans in the stadium.
"I am pleased that we maintained a clean sheet; that is important," Chhetri remarked in a post-match interview. "I am happy that we have had a successful start."
In the tournament's opening match, Kuwait defeated Nepal 3-1 in Group A's other fixture. Pakistan's next match will be against Kuwait on June 24.
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