SAFF Cup Semi-Final: India vs Maldives, Highlights - Hosts Make it to Their 10th Final
India reached the final of the SAFF Cup for the 10th time thanks to a 3-2 win over Maldives in the semi-final at the Thiruvananthapuram International Stadium in Kerala. Catch all highlights here.
Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua gave India a 2-0 lead but Nashid Ahmed pulled one back for Maldives to make 2-1 at the break. Jeje restored India's two-goal lead but Amdhan Ali once again pulled one back. But India held on in the end to make it to their 10th SAFF Cup final. Catch all the highlights here:
17:20 hrs IST: Final whistle! India have beaten Maldives 3-2 and are in their 10th final of the SAFF Cup.Â
17:18 hrs IST: Poor, poor set piece from Maldives. That could be their last chance.
17:17 hrs IST: Free--kick for Maldives. This could be dangerous.
17:16 hrs IST: Four minutes of added time!! India are holding on, its going to be a nervy finish.
17:14 hrs IST: Extremely nervy there. Maldives could have had a penalty shout there. India are just about holding on.
17:12 hrs IST: Comedy of errors from the Indians. They should have scored there.
17:10 hrs IST: Jeje's brilliant shot is just inches away from goal.
17:07 hrs IST: Another chance goes begging for India. Jeje nods a free-kick towards Chhangte whose snapshot is kept out by Maldives goalie Imran.
17:05 hrs IST: Big Chance Missed by India! Great cross from Jairu again and he finds Narzary in the box but the latter fails to make a proper connection to his diving header.
17:03 hrs IST: This could be a nervy final 12 minutes for India. They need to keep their heads and defend well.
17:00 hrs IST: Goal Maldives!! Amdhan Ali brings the visitors back into the game with a bullet header from the corner.
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16:55 hrs IST: India have dominated this match beyond any doubt. Hosts have had 11 corners to just 1 for Maldives.
16:54 hrs IST: Jeje becomes the ninth Indian to have scored twice in a SAFF Cup match.
16:52 hrs IST: Chhetri returns to the field and passes it for Jeje inside the box. The striker gets beyond Amdaan Ali and then Shafiu Ahmed to place it to the goalkeeper's right. India lead 3-1!
16:51 hrs IST: Jeje Goal!!!
16:49 hrs IST: Chhetri is on the ground getting medical attention. Replays show Maldives player kneeing Chhetri in the ribs. Clumsy challenge and a deserved yellow card for Ashfaq.
16:47 hrs IST: Jeje Goes Close for India! Great determination and strength shown by Narzary to steal the ball in the opposition box but Jeje's snapshot goes above the bar. Another chance for India. They need to take these or missed chances could come to haunt them later.
16:42 hrs IST: Chance for Maldives but a great defensive block from Indian defenders.Â
16:40 hrs IST: Narayan Das' brilliant free-kick goes just wide. That was reminiscent of a Gareth Bale free-kick during his Tottenham days!
16:39 hrs IST: Jairu on the left-wing has just been brilliant. His crossing has been world-class and constantly put Maldives defence into panic.Â
16:37 hrs IST: Chance again for India. Narzary's shot from distance takes a deflection and loops up but luckily for Maldives, it's not on target.
16:35 hrs IST: Ashfaq is the biggest danger for India. They need to keep him on leash.
16:33 hrs IST: Chhetri on target! The Indian captain is having a brilliant game. India have started off well in the second half.
16:31 hrs IST: And we are back from the break for the second half.
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16:18 hrs IST: Half-time whistle blows! Maldives have pulled one back in the nick of the time. India lead 2-1 in the break!
16:16 hrs IST: Goal Maldives! Nashid Ahmed strikes for Maldives, giving Gurpreet in the Indian goal no chance at all. Its 2-1 to India now!
16:14 hrs IST: What is the Maldives goalie doing there. A moment of complete madness. The goalkeeper comes way out of his goal to tackle Jeje who leaves him for dead but there is no support for the Indian striker there.
16:10 hrs IST: India attack from the wings again. But not a good ball from Jairu this time around.
16:07 hrs IST: Ashfaq free-kick for Maldives is close but off-target.
16:06 hrs IST: Chhetri again! Indian captain's shot from inside the box is saved by Maldives goalkeeper. India are making Maldives look very ordinary.
16:04 hrs IST: Brilliant chip ball from Narzary finds Jeje in acres of space. The striker finds himself one-on-one with the goalie and makes a clinical finish to double India's lead.
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16:03 hrs IST: Goal Jeje!!
16:00 hrs IST: Chhetri goes close again! Brilliant double save from Maldives goalkeeper.
15:59 hrs IST: India are really starting to put the hammer down. Excellent wing play!
15:56 hrs IST: Sunil Chhetri joins I.M Vijayan with 12 SAFF Cup goals. This was the 77th goal for India in SAFF Cup history.
15:54 hrs IST: Goal Chhetri!! The Indian captain gives hosts the lead with a brilliant header.
15:52 hrs IST: So close for India! A brilliant corner nudged on in the near post but no Indian player can manage to get on the end of it as the ball flies across the Maldives goal.
15:50 hrs IST: A neat one-two between Jairu and Chhetri in the opposition D but Jairu's first time shot fails to hit the target. But much better from India.
15:46 hrs IST: Poor free-kick from Maldives. Wasted a good opportunity to pressurise the Indian defence. Maldives have made the better start. There's more flow to their game. Chhetri has had to feed on scraps.
15:44 hrs IST: Another shot on target for Maldives but Indian custodian Gurpreet palms it away from the danger zone. Too many gaps in the Indian defence.
15:43 hrs IST: Promising play from India. Sunil Chhetri is looking good.
15:41 hrs IST: India has the ball in the back of the net from a deflection!! But it's offside. Unlucky for the Indians but the referee was right there.
15:40 hrs IST: Ashfaq and Assadullah are two players with quick feet. Indian defence really need to be careful.
15:38 hrs IST: India's first real shot and no surprises there - its Sunil Chhetri. But the forward's shot from distance flies high and wide over the Maldives goal.
15:36 hrs IST: Indian defence is split open! Excellent attacking play from Maldives and Ashfaq in particular.
15:34 hrs IST: First shot on target for Maldives. A Fasir Ali free-kick from quite far out goes straight into the hands of Indian goalie Gurpreet. There was no power in that free-kick!! Easy pickings for Gurpreet.
15:32 hrs IST: Maldives have started off well. Stringing a few passes together in the Indian half. Indian defenders will need to be on their toes!
15:29 hrs IST: Both national anthems are done. And we are all ready for kick-off. India to start off the proceedings.
15:24 hrs IST: We are minutes away from the start of the match. Both teams make their way out to the field.
15:15 hrs IST: Maldives team arriving at the Thiruvananthapuram International Stadium.
. @MaldivesFA arriving at the stadium! #SAFFSuzukiCup #INDvMDV pic.twitter.com/tfZ6ivCCyj
- SAFF Suzuki Cup (@SAFFSuzukiCup) December 31, 2015
India XI: A. Fernandes, A. Mondal, E. Lyngdoh, B. Jairu, S. Chhetri, J. Lalpekhlua, H. Narzary, P. Kotal, N. Das, R. Borges, G. Singh Sandhu
Maldives XI: Ahmad, Imaaz Ahmed, Ashfaq, S.Mohamed, A.Asadhulla, A.Ashadh, Fasir, Nashid, Amdhan, Ahmed Shafiu, Imran
15:10 hrs IST: A warm welcome to all you football buffs for the SAFF Cup semi-final between hosts India and Maldives. Some team news coming in.
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But even before a ball has been kicked, the hosts have suffered a major setback. Stephen Constantine's side will have to make do without their in-form striker Robin Singh, who has been ruled out due to a knee injury.
Robin, who impressed for the Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League, was in fine form scoring a brace in India's 2-0 win over Sri Lanka in the group stages.
India will now have to rely on their record goal-scorer and captain Sunil Chhetri to get them across the line. Chhetri, Holicharan Narzary and Jeje Lalpekhlua are the options for Constantine in the striking position.
Besides Chhetri, all eyes will be on record-breaking teenager Lallianzuala Chhangte. Chhangte, 18, who netted twice against Nepal, became the youngest Indian scorer, moving past the iconic Baichung Bhutia, who did it as a 19-year-old in 1995.
The hosts have had a relatively easy time in the group stages as they hardly had to break a sweat in their wins over Sri Lanka and Nepal that enabled them to top Group A. But Maldives will provide them with their sternest test yet.
The island nation come into the semi-finals on the back of two wins and a loss. Maldives, who have been without doubt the most attacking team in the competition, easily beat Bhutan and Bangladesh in the group stages but had to face the ignominy of losing 4-1 to Afghanistan.
India favourites on paper vs Maldives
History suggests that India have the upper hand, having won 10 of their 14 encounters against Maldives and losing just twice. India have beaten Maldives six times in the knockout stage of the SAFF Cup previously.(Read Preview)
However, if one has to go by the current FIFA rankings, then India could find the going tough. India's steady downfall in world football has seen them fall to 166th in the rankings while Maldives are six places above their South Asian rivals.