BJP's Suvendu Adhikari greets Indian Football team for winning 'record' 8th SAFF title

Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Legislative Assembly and MLA from the Nandiugram Constituency Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday congratulated the Indian Football team for clinching their 8th SAFF Championship title. 

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the senior BJP politico, greeted the Blue tigers.

The Indian football team on Saturday bagged their 8th SAFF Championship title as they beat Nepal 3-0 in the final of the tournament at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives.

Chhetri, Suresh and Sahal steal the show for India

The game was seized by the Indian team in the second half as Sunil Chhetri, Suresh Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad scored one goal each to give the Blue Tigers a comfortable win in the SAFF Championship final.  

Captain Sunil Chhetri scored the opening goal for India in the 49th minute of the match, equalling Lionel Messi's tally of 80 international goals.

On the other hand, Suresh Singh doubled the lead in the 50th minute to pave the way for India's triumph. Meanwhile, in the final minutes, Sahal Abdul Samad made it 3-0 as he dribbled past a few Nepal defenders in the 90th minute. 

Indian's maiden Championship title triumph under Igor Stimac 

Notably, the feat marks the Indian football team's first triumph under head coach Igor Stimac, who has faced criticism in recent times for his side's inability to win enough games.

However, when it mattered the most in this edition of the regional tournament, Stimac's side delivered the best their fans had ben waiting for. Stimac also registered himself as the third foreign coach after Jiri Pesek (1993) and Stephen Constantine (2015) to win a trophy with the Indian team.

India's talismanic captain Chhetri gave India the lead they needed after he charged in to neatly head in a delivery from Pritam Kotal on the right flank, leaving the Nepalese goalkeeper with no chance to come to his team's rescue.

Barely a minute after Chhetri's opening goal, another strike by India caught Nepal completely off-guard as Suresh found the back of the net. Subsequently, closing all avenues for Nepal, Sahal Abdul Samad scored the final goal to seal India's 8th SAFF Championship title.

The South Asian Football Federation, founded in 1997, is an association that the All India Football Federation is a part of. Its founding members are Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Bhutan joined the federation in 2000 and Afghanistan did so in 2005.

Inputs: PTI

Image: SUVENDU ADHIKRI- TWITTER/PTI