SAFF Championship : India defeat Kuwait in Finals

In the Final of SAFF Championship 2023, India Defeated Kuwait Team and won 5-4 in a penalty shootout. They have won this championship 9 times (Adding this 2023 Win). 

The best moment was captured after the match ended and the entire audience in the stadium sang along Vande Mataram. Every Indian Patriotic who is watching that video is getting Goosebumps.

Complete details about the ultimate winning moment of the ‘Blue Tigers’ is given here together with the information about the SAFF Championship 2023.

Winner of SAFF Championship 2023

• The Indian Men’s Football team, who were ranked 100 in the latest list of FIFA Rankings, won their 9th title of SAFF Championship in 2023. 
• They beat the Kuwait Football Team in the Finals on July 4th, Tuesday with 5-4 penalty in an exciting Penalty Shootout.
• This match occurred at 7:30 PM IST in Sree Kanteerava Stadium of Bengaluru and the Indian Football team made history by winning the 14th season of this championship.
• This event was broadcasted on the Star Sports Network and the fans enjoyed this match thoroughly. 

Key Moments of SAFF 2023 Finals

• Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, India's goalkeeper, saved an essential penalty kick during the final showdown, letting India defeat Kuwait 5-4 in the shootout. 
• The score remained 4-4 after five rounds of penalty kicks, thus the sudden death system was implemented.
• Mahesh Naorem scored, but Khaled Hajiah's effort was stopped by a diving Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
• In regulation time, Shabaib Al Khaldi put Kuwait ahead in the 14th minute before Lallianzuala Chhangte leveled in the 39th.
• Kuwait had a minor advantage before the shootout scenario because they pushed forward for goals frequently in the first half.
• Sunil Chhetri, Subhasish Bose, Sandesh Jhingan, Chhangte and Mahesh converted for India, while Udanta Singh missed.

The Previous India Kuwait Match

• India and Kuwait had also drawn 1-1 in their previous group game.
• India advanced to the final match after defeating Lebanon 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the semifinals on July 1st, Saturday.
• Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had also made an important stop in the shootout at the time.
• India won the penalty shootout for the second time this year in this competition. 

Fan Moment After the Match

• The end of this match was unforgettable. More than 26,000 enthusiastic fans sung the classic song "Vande Mataram" with their voices booming into the air in a spectacular display of national pride.

Indian Football Team List of SAFF Championship 2023 

• Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Gurmeet Singh.
• Defenders: Mehtab Singh, Subhasish Bose, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Pritam Kotal, Akash Mishra and Rahul Bheke.
• Midfielders: Ashique Kuruniyan, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Liston Colaco, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalengmawia Ralte, Rowllin Borges,  Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Nandha Kumar.
• Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali.

Kuwait Football Team List of SAFF Championship 2023 

• Goalkeepers: Bader Al-Saanoun, Sulaiman Abdulghafoor, Abdulrahman Kameel.
• Defenders: Abdullah Al-Buloushi, Hassan Hamdan Al-Enezi, Hamad Al-Qallaf, Khaled Ebrahim, Mahdi Dashti.
• Midfielders: Abdullah Ghanim, Sultan Al-Enezi, Hamad Al-Harbi, Redha Hani, Fawaz Ayedh, Ahmad Al-Dhefiri, Mubarak Al-Fnaini, Eid Al-Rasheed, Athbi Saleh, Mohammad Tata, Ali Khalaf.
• Forwards: Shabaib Al-Khaldi.

SAFF Championship 2023

• The South Asian Football Federation organized the 14th season of the SAFF Championship, which takes place every two years. 
• The tournament took place at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India, from June 21 to July 4, 2023.
• The South Asian FootBall Federation is one of the five sub-confederations under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
• This tournament is primarily contested by teams from the South Asian subcontinent.

SAFF 2023 Host Country

• The tournament was organized in Sree Kanteerava Stadium of Bangalore, India. 
• The Indian Football team was the defending champion.
• The matches were scheduled between June 21st to July 4th, 2023.

SAFF 2023 Participating Teams

• The 8 teams who competed against each other in the SAFF Championship 2023, the 14th edition are:  India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Lebanon, Nepal and Kuwait.

SAFF Men’s Championship All Winners List

The complete list of all winning teams of SAFF Championship, right from its initiation, is given below here in the table:

Conclusion

All the information about the SAFF 2023 Finals and the tournament is given above along with best moments and winner details. The Indian Football squad won the Finale of the SAFF 2023 Championship in Bengaluru, India on July 4th, Tuesday. 

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