The Boys Have Done It! Constantine's India overcome Afghanistan in gritty final to bag SAFF crown

IT WAS A NIGHT of fairy-tales as Gurpreet Singh's solid performance at the back and an absolutely stellar shift put in by Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua, both of whom got a goal to their name, ensured that India overcame an imposing Afghanistan side 2-1 after a gruelling contest that kept everyone on the edge of their seats through the 120 minutes that it lasted. 

The Afghan coach Petar Segrt surprised almost everyone by benching two of his prominent goal-getters Khaibar Amani and Omid Popalzay, choosing to play Mustafa Zazai and Zubayr Amiri instead. It was clear they were to be his trump cards, to hit India with pace in the latter stage of the game. Constantine, meanwhile, fielded an unchanged starting XI from the semi-final match.

At the outset there was some aggression from the Afghan team. An early run in from Faysal was cleared by Bikash Jairu. Then Gurpreet made a few collections and saves, including from a free kick and a corner kick. Then India turned around with a lethal counter that almost saw them score.

It was Jeje's pass to Holicharan Narzary that was played in by the winger. It hit Amiri and almost went in for an own goal but the keeper managed to push it out but Jeje got another go at it from the rebound. His header from close range came off the crossbar.

This was followed by some tense minutes during which both teams moved back and forth with the Afghan players frustrated the Indians with their sudden accelerations of pace and superior passing. A couple of defensive mistakes from Arnab Mondal and Pritam Kotal made India especially vulnerable from the right and that's where most of Afghanistan's attacks were coming from. There were chances to score, too, but some good defending some Narayan Das and a few crafty saves by Gurpreet kept India in the game. There were a couple of missed chances too that Afghanistan paid for, including a shot at a seemingly open goalfrom Kanischka that went wide.

But about half an hour into the game, India could be seen fighting back. Eugeneson sent a good ball into the box that Sunil received with his chest and let fly with his left foot ut Saighani managed to block it. 

The aerial balls were not working so Sunil Chhetri was repeatedly coming down looking for the ball and it paid off, he collected the ball and passed to Jeje, who played it into the box where Sunil almost got to it but Afghan keeper Azizi sprinted ahead to collect it. Then Narayan Das too had a shot on goal; a long ranger that Azizi did well to deflect for a corner. That's where the first half came to an end.

The second half saw India come in with a clear strategy for attack. Holicharan Narzary moved from left wing to right, and the midfielders were playing a lot of short passes to cope with Afghan pace. The tempo of the game was considerably raised from the first half. 

First Zazai got in and took a crack at the goal that Gurpreet did great to slap out of the way. Then Sunil's pass to Jeje caught the keeper completely off guard and... found the crossbar again. Minutes later Jeje's ball reached Chhetri whose header wasn't on target.

And just when it was looking like India were coming close to dominating the game Afghanistan scored. It was captain Faysal Shayesteh who ran up and found space past the Indian defence and fed Zubayr Amiri inside the box. Gurpreet was in no position to save that close-ranger.

Afghanistan were 1-0 ahead and for a moment silence fell on the majority of the 35,000-strong crowd present at the Greenfield Stadium. Afghanistan fans were cheering and their players were celebrating in front of them. But as Jeje and Sunil moved the ball back to the center, a chorus of "India, India" rose from the crowd until it reached a deafening pitch. And India scored. 

Holicharan Narzary lifted the ball into the Afghan penalty box. Sunil Chhetri headed it towards Jeje. The Mohun Bagan striker then put the subtlest of flicks on the ball, sending it spinning into the net. The stadium exploded.

Afghanistan tried to hit hard again. Gurpreet pulled two quick saves to deny Afghanistan. Then Narayan Das sent in a gem of a shot that went high then came in dangerously low that Azizi had to run backwards and punch out of the way; would have been the goal of the tournament had it gone in.

It was past 80 minutes when the first substitution of the match happened. Both coaches were undoubtedly expecting the match to go into extra time. The first change was made by Petar Segrt, who brought in one of his goal getters, Omid Popalzay, back from the bench. 

But at this time it was the Blue Tigers who were sniffing for a second. Sunil Chhetri had a shot on target that Azizi made a good save out of. Then Narzary ran in and sent in a shot that went to Azizi's waiting hands. In the last few seconds of added time Alikhil had a shot at goal but sent it wide. At the whistle the scoreline read 1-1.

The extra time started off with Segrt introducing the tournament's highest scorer Khaibar Amani into the game. The start was a it dodgy for India as Eugeneson Lyngdoh made two fouls in quick succession on Kanishcka and earned a yellow card. Constantine immediately subbed him out, brining in Pronay Halder. It was India's first substitution and it came some 96 minutes into the game.

Afghanistan tried to play a holding game and look for gaps in India's defence. But that plan was straight up buried when Sunil Chhetri made a memorable run, with two defenders in his trail, struggling his way into the Afghan box in breakneck speed. Seeing no other alternative Azizi came off his line to stop him but Sunil managed to send the ball past him. It rolled slowly towards the goal line as Saighani ran after it. The ball just about managed to roll past the line before the defender reached it. 

Pandemonium ensued inside the stadium. India were leading 2-1 and they looked in control. The clock read 100 minutes and victory was within sight.

Nervy moves and counters dominated the remaining 20 minutes. Gurpreet was at his best under the bar denying Afghan attempts till the very last moments. In the 114th minute after the Afghans got a free-kick. The ball was kicked around bang in the middle of the Indian box for the longest time. Then out of nowhere a shot came in and it hit the post. Afghan players were appealing for a foul that the referee turned down. Afghan coach Segrt yelled and cursed at the referee and got sent off. Arnab Mondal had gotten a kick on his leg and had to be carried off on a stretcher. Aiborlang Khongjee replaced him. Hatifie went down in the box and asked for penalty but the referee denied him and he got a yellow for yelling at his face. Gurpreet made a couple more great saves. Everythin seemed to be happening at the same time as the clock ticked on, second by second, towards the end.

And when it came it was like the floodgates had opened. Stephen Constsantine threw a bottle of water in the air and was tightly hugged by Danny Deigan, the fitness trainer. The crowd went wild as the players walked around the pitch, national flags in their hands, and greeted them hand in hand. The coach got a few bumps. 

Sunil Chhetri became India's highest scorer in the history of the SAFF Championship. India won their 7th SAFF title. It was euphoria all around. The match was tight and a lot of good and bad luck was involved but it did not matter any more. Constantine's young team had tamed the outgoing powerhouse of SAFF and proved, in a contest worthy of being one of the most memorable SAFF Championship finals ever, that their vision towards improvement wasn't a wayward dream after all. 

Operation Greenfield is a rip-roaring success.