India beat Maldives 3-1 in penalty shootout to win SAFF Championships

DHAKA - India defeated Maldives 3-1 in penalty shootout on Sunday to win the sixth SAFF Championships at the Bangabandhu stadium in Bangladesh.

Both the teams failed to produce any goal in the regulation and extra times, due to which the match extended to penalty shootout, where Jibon, Denzil and Subodh- converted their respective spot kicks while Nirmal fired wide.

Indian goalkeeper Arindam continued his splendid performance in the tournament keeping Maldives at bay and saved two penalties to win the title for a fifth time.

Ibrahim Fazeel was the only player to score for Maldives on penalties, while Thoriq and Mukhthar’s kicks were well saved by Arindam. Ashfaq kicked the crucial last kick wide.

Both the teams entered the final of SAAF championship for a second consecutive year after India beat Bangladesh 1-0 and Maldives defeated Sri Lanka 5-1 in the semi finals.

The victory was also a perfect revenge for last year’s final loss in Colombo. (ANI)