India defeated Kuwait in a penalty shootout to win the SAFF Championship title on July 5. The match was tied 1-1 after extra time, and India won the shootout 5-4.
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This is India’s ninth SAFF Championship title, and their first since 2015. The tournament was held in Bhubaneswar, India.
![[Image of Indian football team celebrating victory over Kuwait]](http://freshnewspoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IND-KUW-Chhetri.jpg)
A goal from Sunil Chhetri in the last moments of the first-half keeps the Blue Tigers ahead, though the coach looks very disappointed with the missed opportunities — something that could have made the lead ever wider.
After five rounds of penalty kicks the scoreline remained 4-4 and sudden death rule was applied. Mahesh Naorem scored but a diving India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved Khaled Hajiahās shot to hand victory the home side.
The match went to extra time, but neither team was able to score a winner. In the penalty shootout, India scored all five of their penalties, while Kuwait missed one.
The win is a major boost for Indian football. It comes just a few months after India qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
The team will now look to build on this success and continue to improve in the years to come.
