India huff and puff past Nepal

The challenge for higher-ranked India against a lower-ranked Nepal was always about choosing their attitude wisely, especially when playing in front of a home crowd with high expectations.

And defending champions India, humbled by the minnows from the word go, neither had the luxury of being complacent nor were allowed to be confident as they just about managed to survive with a 2-0 win in their second Group A clash of the SAFF Championship here.

Nepal, ranked 174 in the world, came out all guns blazing and looked like the better team playing free, fearless football on a rainy Saturday evening at the Sree Kanteerava stadium.

While the visitors were faster, more attacking with a sharper defence line guarding their fort, the hosts, on the other hand, were marred by sloppy passes and half-baked finishes.

Also Read | Chhetri leads India to SAFF Championships semifinals after 2-0 win over Nepal

Until it took a visibly irked Indian captain Sunil Chhetri to break the deadlock in the 61st minute. The 38-year-old, animated and shouting instructions to his team-mates throughout, tapped in a cross by Mahesh Singh Naorem from the left flank to give India their first goal.

With the anxiety eased in the Indian camp, Sahal Abdul Samad’s pass to Chhetri hit the crossbar before Naorem slotted the rebound to the back of the net for India’s second goal in the 70th minute.

Though the second half turned out to be the saviour for the Blue Tigers, the heart shown by the footballers from the tiny nation roared louder the entire duration of the game.

Cheered on by a sizable crowd, the Nepalis created more chances with the ball, had the first corner and the first shot on target in the first half to keep the opponents on their toes. With their feet pressed on the accelerator, three crosses were missed as the Indians sighed a heave of relief.

‘Make them slog’ looked like the mantra their Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese gave his wards that resonated on the field. It will be a performance Nepal can be proud of and a match that will not be forgotten soon.

As for India, they did just about enough to post two wins to confirm a semifinal spot and will take on Kuwait in the last group clash on Tuesday.

A dominant Kuwait, earlier in the day, handed Pakistan their second defeat to inch closer towards a semifinal berth. M Al Faneni scored a brace (17th, 45+1st) while H Al Enezi (10th) and EN Al Rashedi (69th) netted one goal apiece in the west Asian nations 4-0 victory to also take them to the last four stage of the event.