Sunil Chhetri did what Sunil Chhetri does best as India saw off a dogged Nepal outfit 2-0 on Saturday at the Kanteerava, Bengaluru, to seal their spot in the semifinals of the 2023 SAFF Championship.
After a tedious first half that was filled with almost-chances and numerous errors in possession, Chhetri opened the scoring just past the hour mark to make it international goal #91. Mahesh played a lovely one-two with Sahal Abdul Samad down the India left to work himself into space from where he passed the ball across the face of the goal into that no-man's land between the keeper and his defenders. Putting on a clinic in classic centre-forward/goal-poacher movement, Chhetri ghosted off the shoulder off the left centre-back to walk onto it in acres of space and tap it in from two yards out.
It was a well worked move that was the antithesis of all that had preceded it. In fact, before this movement, the most Nepal goalkeeper (and captain) Kiran Kumar Limbu had been troubled was when Chhetri harried him into a couple of rushed clearances with the force of his closing down.
India had made eight changes to the XI that ripped through Pakistan -- with only Chhetri, Sahal, and Thapa keeping their places -- and it showed as they struggled to develop cohesive phases of play and construct any kind of meaningful threat till that first goal went in. Just moments after the goal, though, Mahesh Gawli, standing in for the suspended Igor Stimac (one match, for his straight red vs Pakistan), made two substitutions that ensured India dominated the rest of the match.
The introduction of Jeakson Singh immediately helped India assert a measure of control in central midfield while Lallianzuala Chhangte down the right kept Nepal pinned back. With this new-found control and the 1-0 lead India settled into their shape well and invited Nepal in before hitting them on the counter.
It was one such counter in the 70th minute that made it 2-0. Sahal, who until then had been disappointingly indecisive, surged forward with the ball and released Chhetri in between the line with a clever ball. Chhetri ran onto it, sat a defender down, then jinked inside another before shooting at goal. Limbu saved the effort, but it ricocheted onto the bar before gently dropping onto Mahesh's head and into the net. India had just scored two goals from a sum-total distance of two meters out. It was Mahesh's debut international goal, standing in nice contrast to his skipper's tally.
At the other end, apart from an early save off a superb Arik Bista volley, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu didn't have much to do in the Indian goal as the national team kept a record-extending eighth cleansheet.
India will now fight it out with Kuwait (who also sealed their spot with a 4-0 humbling of Pakistan earlier on Saturday) to see who tops the group on Tuesday, June 27. Nepal and Pakistan are out of the tournament, but will battle for a consolation win earlier that same day.
Oh, and you can relive the match as-it-happened, with (almost) minute-by-minute commentary right here:
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