India aim to avenge 2008 loss against Maldives in SAFF Cup final

DHAKA - India will be looking to avenge their 2008 loss when they take on defending champions Maldives in the title-clash of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup here Sunday.

Last year, four-time champions India lost to Maldives after Mukhtar Nasser scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game. The win hurt Bob Houghton’s boys a lot as they came into tournament riding high on their 2007 Nehru Cup win.

This time, India have fielded an under-23 team in tournament and under a new coach, Sukhwinder Singh. And the boys have done well despite their lack of experience. The only loss they tasted here was when they went down 0-2 against the experienced Maldives in the group stage at the Bangabandhu Stadium.

On the eve of the final here Saturday, the Indian team had a two-hour training session under Sukhwinder, who was unceremoniously sacked as the national coach four years ago. The veteran coach wants a repeat of the semi-final show from his boys.

“Both the teams that have reached the finals are the best teams. We played well in the semi-finals against Bangladesh. We have to repeat the same performance against Maldives. We have to minimise our mistakes. The boys are highly motivated and in high spirits for the finals,” he said.

For India, the good news is that striker Balwant singh, who missed the semi-final against Bangladesh due to a suspension, will start along with Sushil Kumar upfront.

There are no doubts about the fact that Maldives have emerged as one of the strongest team in the sub-continent. In this tournament, they have proved that they have the ability to retain the title.

But key mid-fielder Ibrahim Fazeel is doubtful for the final. He is scored a brace in the 5-1 drubbing of Sri Lanka in the semi-final and took his tally to three in the tournament.

Team physician Ahmed Shakeeb said that Fazeel is recovering fast and the hamstring injury is not as bad as the initial assessment suggests.

“He is recovering very fast and he got a 50-50 chance of playing in the final. If he can jog tomorrow without any pain, he would be able to play” Shakeeb added.

Coach Istvan Urbanyi said that he would not take a risk with Fazeel if he is not fully fit.

Istvan also said that the final against the under-23 Indian side wouldn’t be a cake-walk for his big boys.

India is a good team and we dont need to talk about ages in football. Look at Kaka and Ronaldo. I heard a commentator describing the Indian team as kids. Thats a complete joke!” he said.