SAFF 2015 Championship: India 3-2 Maldives : 5 Talking Points

India qualified for the final of the 2015 SAFF Championship with a 3-2 win over Maldives (Image courtesy SAFF Twitter account)India narrowly edged past Maldives with a 3-2 scoreline in the semifinal of the 2015 SAFF Championship at the Trivandrum International Stadium in Kerala.The Blue Tigers started in comfortable fashion, as goals from Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua put India 2-0 up by the 34th minute. However, Maldives struck back just before the break, with Ahmed Nashi grabbing one back for the visitors in first half injury time.Jeje scored his second goal in the 66th minute to extend India’s lead, but the Blue Tigers conceded a 75th minute goal to Amdaan Ali, as Maldives made it an uncomfortable finish for India. Stephen Constantine’s side did hold out though, which means that India will contest the final on 3rd January, vying for their seventh SAFF title.

#1 Sunil Chhetri joins legendary striker I M Vijayan as a record holder

Nazary floating in the cross that Chhetri converted for his landmark goal (Image courtesy SAFF Twitter account)

India’s captain scored the all important opener tonight to give his side the lead against Maldives. His 25th minute header was his 49th official goal for the Blue Tigers. Narzary sent in a floater from the right wing and the diminutive Indian was right on the spot to cushion a header into the net.

The goal also means he now joins former striker I M Vijayan as the highest goal scorer for India in the SAFF Cup. Both of them now have twelve goals to their name in South Asia’s premier football tournament. India scored their 77th, 78th and 79th goal (two scored by Jeje tonight) to add to their SAFF Cup goal tally history.

Sunil was in his element as he took nine shots tonight and six of them were on target.

#2 India\'s quality of football is improving

The Blue Tigers are starting to form better partnerships on the pitch (Image courtesy SAFF Twitter Account)

India have now scored two goals within the first forty five minutes in all their three matches of the tournament so far. Much of that goes down to the way they play their football. Expansive and penetrating with an emphasis on quick wing play.

Heading into the tournament, pundits and fans alike would have expected the Blue Tigers to make it into the latter stages of the tournament. And they now occupy a position in the finals. If they continue in the same vein, Constantine can be proud of how his men have played the game.

He now has several new youngsters at his disposal. Some of whom made their debut this year. Heading into 2016, things looks bright for India.

#3 Jeje and Sunil partnered up well

India’s striking pair dovetailed well to score three goals

India headed into today’s key encounter without the services of Robin Singh. The imposing forward suffered a knee injury against Sri Lanka. In his absence, Jeje and Sunil showed why they can be equally effective when paired up. They seem to understand each other very well and were seen playing close to each other for large parts of the game.

They were happy to turn into suppliers at regular intervals as both of them got on the score sheet. Jeje has been in fine form this year and came into this tournament after winning the ISL with Chennai. Sunil on the other hand had a subpar ISL but was one of the standout performers for Mumbai.

Both entered the SAFF cup on the back of several impressive displays for their respective clubs and it was evident on the pitch today.

#4 Maldives always returned with a counter punch

Maldives scored just before the break to undermine India’s dominance (Image courtesy SAFF Twitter account)

Indian legend, Baichung Bhutia had some advice for India prior to their match against Maldives. He talked in particular about the importance keeping Maldives’s midfield in check. The likes of Easa Ismail and Ashfaq have been in fine form for Maldives this year. They have been instrumental up front for the Red Snappers.

Put together work ethic, creativity and vision and what you get is Ashfaq. India did a terrific job of keeping him quite for large parts of the game. India took a 3-1 lead but Maldives continued to move forward with confidence. They weren’t hesitant in committing numbers in attack. Maldives #16, Hamza Mohamed went on a couple of mazy runs and was a livewire on the pitch. They were unlucky to not have found that elusive third goal.

#5 Coach Constantine will be weary of his defense heading into the final

India’s defence were frequently caught out of position, especially when they conceded the 2nd goal (Image courtesy SAFF Twitter account)

Today, both the teams expressed their attacking acumen on the pitch. They passed the ball well and put in a herculean effort. But Coach Constantine will be aware of the hoopla surrounding today’s well deserved win that will follow.

His men though looked nervy at the back and conceded two goals tonight. Fullbacks, Narayan Das and Pritam Kotal were caught out of position at crucial stages. While they were better than Maldives for large parts of the match, Constantine realizes that defensive performances like tonight won’t help them in the finals.

There were a couple of those ten minute intervals when India’s back four went missing and it was then when Maldives made merry to peg themselves back twice.