Monday, September 9, 2013

India Beats Maldives To Reach 2013 SAFF Final

Contrary to everyone's expectations, India ended up defeating a stronger Maldives team. Sunil Chhetri (C) wasn't able to play in the semi-final because he got double booked with yellow cards in the prior games of the tournament. With out Chhetri the Indian team was deflated and judging by how strong Maldives' performance was and how weak India's performance was in the prior games of this tournament it was hard to imagine India winning the match.

The final score was 1-0 in India's favor. Arnab Mondal, the Indian Center Back, was the one who scored the game winning goal in the 86th minute. It was Mondal's first International goal, the 23 year old lad scored it at a crucial moment of his national team.

Here is the goal scored by Arnab Mondal:




You can watch the complete India vs. Maldives match here:




This game is a great confidence booster for the Indian side. They will be facing off against Afghanistan in the finals of the tournament. Afghanistan is the highest FIFA ranked team in South Asia (139th) and it will be a tough match for India. The final is scheduled to be played on September 11th. I will keep you updated about the outcome of that match-up. 

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