Afghanistan beat India 2-0 to claim their first South Asian Football Federation Championship at the Dasharath Rangashala Stadium in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
In a rematch of the last SAFF Championship final in 2011, the Lions of Khorasan turned the tables on the Blue Tigers and avenged their 4-0 loss from two years ago.
Mustafa Azadzoy gave his side an early lead, slotting the ball into an empty net in the 9th minute after Balal Arezou put him through.
The goal woke up the Indian attack, which created a number of opportunities to score but could not beat Afghan keeper Mansur Faqiryar.
Arezou was also involved in the second goal. His shot was saved by Indian keeper Subrata Paul but the rebound fell to Sandjar Ahmadi, who chipped it home in the 62nd minute to double the advantage.
India coach Wim Koevermans made a controversial decision before the match, electing to leave captain Sunil Chhetri on the bench and start with the same team that beat Maldives in Monday’s semi-final.
The forward finally came on in the 60th minute, only to see his side concede again two minutes later.
Chhetri created several chances after his arrival, the closest coming when he stuck the crossbar just two minutes after Afghanistan’s second, but India’s talisman could bring his side back.
Before the final began, the Afghan government rewarded each player with an apartment and $25,000 for reaching the final, matching the nation’s previous best SAFF result of two years ago. By the time the final whistle went, they had surpassed it.
India finish as runners-up for the third time, to go along with their six first-place finishes in ten competitions.
-With New Age input
