In a nail-biting SAFF Championship 2023 final, the Indian football team emerged champion against Kuwait, winning the match 5-4 on penalties. The thrilling match was evenly fought, ending with a 1-1 draw at the end of the match.
However, the tie between India and Kuwait leads to a penalty shoot-out. The penalty shootout saw both teams displaying ballsy as they both successfully converted their first four penalties into goals.
For India, it was goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who emerged as the saviour of the night. The goalkeeper Sandhu made a critical save in the fifth penalty, disallowing Kuwait an opportunity to equalize goals.
“I think we did really well. All the credits to the boys for not giving up even after going down by a goal. Winning in penalties is about who has the luck and we had it today,” said India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
It has been a second-consecutive and ninth SAFF title for India. The victory marks a major achievement for Indian football, as it is their ninth SAFF Championship title. In the tournament, Sunil Chhetri equals Ali Ashfaq’s record of 23 goals while also achieving his 92nd international goal.
