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#1 Maldives vs India (SAFF Cup Final, September 15, 2018)
Result: Maldives 2-1 India
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The South Asian Football Federation cup is organized every two years with the participation of seven South-Asian countries who are part of this group. For years, India has been the dominant country in this fixture with seven titles to their name.
Before the tournament, in an event organized in Kolkata, Chhetri hinted that he may skip the SAFF Cup to give junior players more chance.
“I was fortunate to play SAFF three or four times. I am not declaring anything right now, but I had a chat with the coach and he said he wants to bring in a lot of junior players, which I think is a very good thing. It’s not trying to demean the other teams in the SAFF region. It’s a great opportunity for the youngsters to come to the table and show the coach that they also have the potential. I think even with the U-23 team, we are very strong in the SAFF region. I hope they do well and we retain the championship,” Chhetri was quoted as saying then.
Eventually, Chhetri along with goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and other senior players were rested as India coach Stephen Constantine named an U-23 side for the biennial event.
India were on the verge of their eighth title before a disappointing defeat at the hands of Maldives put paid to their hopes. India, who beat the same opponent by 2-0 in their group fixture, came shot of their rivals in the final.
More than the defeat, it was their performance which worried the fans. In Chhetri’s absence, youngsters like Sumeet Passi, Farukh Choudhary and Manvir Singh were expected to take the responsibility. While Passi had scored in the final and twice against Pakistan in the semi-final, he failed to leave a mark. Farukh and Manvir were unimpressive.
Choudhary has been dropped from the 22-man squad for the friendly against Jordan but the other two remain. Only time will tell if they can prove their doubters wrong.
