BENGALURU: After an intense and entertaining battle at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium that saw India and Lebanon battle hard without scoring a goal for 120 minutes, defending champions India, powered by goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and skipper Sunil Chhetri, advanced to the final of the SAFF Championship with a 4-2 verdict in the penalty shootout here on Saturday.
Lebanon, who replaced their goalkeeper just before the shootout, failed twice from the spot even as Gurpreet made a fine save to deny Lebanon skipper Hassan Matouk and India netted all their four chances with skipper Chhetri, Anwar Ali, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh on target. Lebanon's exit was confirmed when substitute Khalil Bader blasted their fourth kick wide.
1/10:SAFF Championship: India beat Lebanon to reach final
IANS
2/10:India vs Lebanon
<p>An intense and entertaining battle unfolded at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium that saw India and Lebanon battle hard without scoring a goal for 120 minutes. </p>PTI
3/10:Defending champions India
<p>Defending champions India advanced to the final of the SAFF Championship with a 4-2 verdict in the penalty shootout on Saturday. </p>TNN
4/10:Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
<p>Lebanon, who replaced their goalkeeper just before the shootout, failed twice from the spot even as Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made a fine save to deny Lebanon skipper Hassan Matouk. </p>IANS
5/10:4 out of 4
<p>India netted all their four chances with skipper Sunil Chhetri, Anwar Ali, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh on target. </p>TNN
6/10:Lebanon's exit
<p>Lebanon's exit was confirmed when substitute Khalil Bader blasted their fourth kick wide. </p>TNN
7/10:Goal eludes India
<p>Earlier, India were all over Lebanon in the first 15 minutes of extra time but a goal eluded them. </p>TNN
8/10:Chhetri's poor luck
<p>Chhetri went close twice and the skipper couldn't believe his poor luck when he failed to connect a pinpoint cross from substitute Udanta Singh from less than six yards in the 96th minute. </p>TNN
9/10:Chhetri
<p>Three minutes back Chhetri came up with a rasping shot but the Lebanese goalkeeper tipped it away. </p>IANS
10/10:Lebanon withstand attacks
<p>India pressed hard with five minutes left on the clock but Lebanon withstood the attacks, conceding four corners in quick succession. </p>TNNEarlier, India were all over Lebanon in the first 15 minutes of extra time but a goal eluded them. Chhetri went close twice and the skipper couldn't believe his poor luck when he failed to connect a pinpoint cross from substitute Udanta Singh from less than six yards in the 96th minute. Three minutes back the talismanic striker came up with a rasping shot but the Lebanese goalkeeper tipped it away.
India pressed hard with five minutes left on the clock but Lebanon withstood the attacks, conceding four corners in quick succession. The hosts couldn't do much damage from the flag kicks as the Lebanese defenders won the aerial battle with ease. Lebanon threatened to pull the game away in the 83rd minute but skipper Maatouk's, put through by Farran, shot just over the crossbar. Soon, Indian players and fans were appealing for a handball.
Changing ends, India pulled out Pritam Kotal and sent in Nikhil Poojary to plug the gaps down the right flank. Lebanon, meanwhile, continued to probe with Maatouk and Zein Farran, who was a handful for India's defenders, with his brilliant control and swift turns. The West Asians went close twice in two minutes towards the hour mark, After Nader Matar's shot rolled across the goalmouth, substitute Karim Darwich tried a header but was too weak to trouble Gurpreet.
Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli then made a triple substitution in the 75th minute bringing in Mahesh Singh, Rohit Kumar and Akash Mishra in place of Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa and Subashish Bose.
Lebanon held the upper hand for the first ten minutes before India slowly gained control.
Semifinals results: Lebanon 0 India 0. (Lebanon lost 2-4 in tie-breaker); Kuwait 1 (Al Bloushi 105+1) Bangladesh 0
