Afghanistan will be looking toreverse the outcome of the last Saff Championship final when they take on defending champions India in the in this year’s final at the Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu at 6:45pm today.
Afghanistan were thrashed 0-4 in the final at New Delhi in 2011 and having made it through to another final, the “Lions of Khorasan”, will be extra determined to win today. India, who have won six of the last nine Saff Championships, however also look up for the encounter and vowed to continue improving and further gel as a unit. Tuesday’s semi-final win over Maldives – a match for which they were without skipper Sunil Chhetri – amply demonstrated India’s superb temperament.
On paper, Afghanistan are the superior side, with a Fifa ranking of 139 as opposed to India’s 145th position. Seven of Afghanistan’s starters play in the lower leagues of USA and Germany. Midfielder Mustafa Azadzoy and defender Mustafa Hadid play in Germany, while forward Mohammed Yusuf has played in the US. Forward Sanjar M. Ahmadi, whose first half strike drowned hosts Nepal, also plays in Germany. Moreover goalkeeper, Mansur Fagiryar may also arrive as a major obstacle forIndia as he has so far been exceptional. The phrase “fighting spirit” captures perfectly the Afghan side’s mentality and they are a physically strong side to boot.
India, however, are not to be underestimated. Captain Chhetri’s return will boost the side and give it the firepower to dismantle the opposition. Gourmangi Singh in the heart of the defence has been in good form, Jeje Lalpeklhua will take his customary place on the wide left, while Francisco Fernandes will be a threat from the right wing. Arati Izumi will miss the game due to injury and Jewel Raja Sheikh will take his spot in the starting 11.
Wim Koevermans, the Dutch coach of India was upbeat about his team’s prospects. “Afghanistan is a different team than Maldives. We will approach them differently. We should have won our group matches easily. I don't agree we didn't play well. Coming to Maldives match, we showed our character. We played well. I have already mentioned that we are here to play five finals and four finals have already been played. Now we are 90 minutes away for the title.
“We are giving our full respect to Afghanistan. We never underestimate any team, Afghanistan is a team that can play good football. We are a team and everybody knows what to do, we are looking forward to an exciting final match", said Koevermans.
Afghan skipper Harun Fakhruddin Amiri meanwhile, was looking for revenge. “We couldn't play well in group matches but we played well in the semi-final match against Nepal. We wanted India to be in the final. India is a special opponent for us. We were beaten by them in the final of previous edition,this time we want win. We want title. We are ready for revenge,” he declared.