IND 4-0 PAK, SAFF Championship HIGHLIGHTS: Chhetri hattrick helps India ease past Pakistan

Absolute clinical performance from the men in blue. They’ve dominated their rival right from the start and that has reflected on the scoreline. Hattrick from the Indian captain Chhetri and a late goal from Uadnta sealed the deal for Stimac’s men as they move to the top of group A on goal difference!

OUT: Nabi IN: Ghazi

Liston is creating constant problems for Pakistan. This time, he tries a long ranger as well but keeps it low. Hanif dives, the ball goes past him but is off target!

A whopping six minutes added!

Corner for India. Liston takes it, a short pass to start. He gets the ball back quickly and attempts a shot from a long way out. His curler goes agonisingly close past the crossbar!

OUT: Chhetri IN: Liston

Free kick for Pakistan just outside the box. Nabi takes the kick and shoots it way off the target!

UDANTE MAKES IT FOUR! Superb first touch from the substitute as he ran unmarked inside the box to complete a wonderful move to the lower left corner. An inch perfect long ball from Anwar in the build up

OUT: Chhangte IN: Udanta

ANOTHER PENALTY FOR INDIA! Chhettri is pushed down inside the box by Sufyan. AND IT’S A HATTRICK FOR THE INDIAN CAPTAIN!

Corner for India as Chhangte’s shot is intercepted out. Sahal with the cross into the box, Hanif stops a header, Ashique tries to capitalise on the fumble but is caught offside

A spectator has jumped into the pitch to have a closer look at the Indian captain. A short break in play as the security personnel rushes in to take the fan out of bounds

JEAKSON’S HEADER CRASHES ONTO THE CROSSBAR! Chhangte with a peach of a delivery from a free kick near the half line. Jeakson got into positon perfectly to head it but it finds the crossbar and Hanif pushes it out for a corner. Nothing comes off it

OUT: Thapa IN: Rohit; OUT: Pritam IN: Poojary

Corner for India this time. Chhangte is stopped in his tracks following Sufyan’s perfect sliding tackle. Nothing comes from that corner

Corner for Pakistan as Jinghan forces a Otis cross outside. Bashir to take it. Another proactive move from Amrinder as he pushes the ball out of danger

Dost is down in pain and is holding his head following a challenge from Jinghan. The medical team arrives to check him and he is back on his legs in no time. Goes out to the sidelines to take a short break

Corner for India and it’s Thapa as usual to take it. the kick goes high and long, Jinghan’s headed effort is too easy for Hanif

OUT: Hayat IN: Niyazi; OUT: Bashir IN: Dost

Relentless India continues to attack. This time, Chhangte gets the ball inside the box. He crosses it towards Ashique outside the box and the latter tries a long ranger but the ball goes out for a goal kick

CHANCE!! Ashique initiates another attack and advances inside the box and shoots, Hanif saves again but this time fumbles it. It was Sahal against an open post but the Indian found a way to squander it as the ball flies away for a goal kick!

Promising attack from India on the left. Anwar Ali finds Ashique, who runs inside the box and shoots but Hanif makes the save

Bashir will get the ball rolling as the teams change sides

Sahal gets the ball inside the box, he shoots but it’s blocked and goes towards Chhangte. He shoots as well, blocked this time as well by Iqbal and goes out for a corner. Nothing comes off it and that’s it for the first half

A fight breaks out near the Indian manager’s box as Stimac tries to grab the ball from a Pakistan player. Players from both the sides rush towards them. An intervention from the referee, linesman and the support staff is needed to break it off!

STIMAC IS SHOWN RED! Yellow for the Pakistan manager as well!

Jinghan and Nabi are also booked!

Dangerous attack from India as they crowd the opposition’s box and even try a couple of shots but nothing substabtial from it. The drizzle has now turned into a proper rain, it’s properly pouring at the stadium now

Pakistan players are finding it hard to control their long balls. Might be due to the lack of grip as it’s constantly drizzling at the Kanteerava stadium. This time, it’s Sufyan who tried to float one inside the box but it went out for a goal kick

Corner for Pakistan. Otis Jan to take it. Good ball inside the box but an even better punch from Amrinder clears the ball away

Kotal and Chhangte combine on the right to initiate an Indian attack. Chhangte puts in a cheeky backheel to find Kotal, who sends it back to Chhangte. The latter tries to take it into the final third but Sufyan intercepts

Yellow card for Hayat for a rash tackle on Ashique near the box. Chhetri takes the shot, but the ball goes brushing past the crossbar!

Free kick for Pakistan. A long ball goes towards an unmarked Sufyan at the edge of the box. He tries a shot from outside the box but it flies past the post

Corner kick for India as Subhashish’s cross is deflected out. Thapa takes it and puts in a short pass for Jeakson, who tries an ambitious shot from an awkward angle but it is off target

Superb one-two from Chhangte and Kotal on the right. Kotal gets near the away line and crosses one into the box, Chhangte does a 180 and shoots but it’s an easy save for Hanif

Free kick for India as Chhangte is brought down by Nabi. Thapa takes it on the right. Sends in a searching curler, Jeakson heads it but it’s wide

A lofted ball comes towards Chhangte and it’s 1v1 against Iqbal. And the Pakistani defender does well to take the ball away for a goal kick

Finally an attack from Pakistan as Otis Jan dribbles past two players on the left but is finally dispossessed near the box

Corner for India, Thapa to take it. He plays it short to Jeakson. The latter lofts one inside the box but it is cleared away

PENALTY FOR INDIA! Handball inside the box to stop a shot from Thapa. Chhetri gets ready to take it! The keeper dives the right way but Chhetri cooly slots it past him on the lower right corner!

A superb through ball down the left flank towards Sahal, he runs towards it but a timely sliding tackle from Hayat keeps him at bay

ANOTHER MISTAKE FROM THE KEEPER AND THIS TIME IT’S 1-0 INDIA!! CHHETRI HANDS AN EARLY LEAD FOR THE HOME SIDE!

Horrendous mistake from the keeper Hanif, as he gives it straight to Chhetri. The Indian skipper takes a couple of steps and tries a long ranger. But it takes a deflection and that’s an easy save for Hanif. He would be relieved!

Thrown in for India deep inside Pakistan’s half as Anwar Ali’s long ball is cleared out. Ashique throws it in, Thapa gets it and changes the line of play as he finds Chhangte on the right. Chhangte moves into the final third on the right but is unable to put in a cross

Jeakson tries to initiate an attack on the left but he is marked to perfection and India is forced to backtrack

A corner goes Pakistan’s way as Ashique forces Hamid’s cross outside. A dangerous ball comes into the box, but it is headed wide for a goal kick

Sandesh from the left flank, sends a cross inside the box, Chhetri finds it with a header but is not able to keep it on target

Sahal will start things off for India as the home side starts left to right. Free kick straight away for India. Thapa takes it floats one inside the box but it is cleared away for a throw in

The players of both the teams have entered the field and the Kanteerava stadium is absolutely electric. It is now time for the national anthems. Pakistan’s anthem plays first

INDIA - Amrinder Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Shubashish Bose, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Pritam Kotal, Ashique Kuruniyan

PAKISTAN - Saquib Hanif, Easah Suliman, Muhammad Umar Hayat, Muhammad Sufyan, Abdullah Iqbal, Mamoon Moosa Khan, Otis Jan, Mohammed Khan, Rahis Nabi, Hassan Naveed Bashir, Harun Arrashid Hamid, Ali Uzair Mahmood

India– Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh and Phurba Lachenpa Tempa, Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh and Rahul Bheke, Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Jeakson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalengmawia Ralte, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rowllin Borges and Nandha Kumar, Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali and Ishan Pandita

Pakistan– Saqib Hanif, Salman ul Haq, Abdul Basit and Yousaf Ijaz Butt, Muhammad Umar Hayat, Ali Khan Niazi, Muhammad Sufyan, Muhammad Umer Saeed, Mamoon Moosa Khan, Syed Abdullah Shah, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Sardar Wali, Sohail, Easah Suliman and Abdullah Iqbal, Alamgir Ali Khan Ghazi, Ali Uzair Mahmood, Moin Ahmed, Shayak Dost, Muhammad Waleed Khan, Rahis Nabi, Harun Arrashid Faheem Hamid, Umair Ali and Muhammad Adnan Yaqoob, Abdul Samad Sha

The game between India and Pakistan in the SAFF Championship 2023 will be streamed live on FanCode on subscription basis. The will not be available on any TV channels in India.

Fresh after the resounding success at the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar, India will begin its quest for a second title in less than a month when it takes on Pakistan in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship opener here on Wednesday.

India, the defending champion and eight-time winner of the SAFF Championship, will be returning to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium after more than five-and-a-half years. The last match was in October 2017 against Macau, a 4-1 win which sealed India’s spot in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

When India takes the field this time, Asian Cup will once again be in focus, for the SAFF event will form an important competition in the lead-up to the 2023 edition.

On paper, the Pakistan tie is winnable. India’s South Asian neighbour is ranked 195, 94 places below India, and lost all three matches against Kenya, host Mauritius and Djibouti at the recently held four-nation tournament.

It is also set to start the match with hardly any practice, for it would have arrived in Bengaluru only in the wee hours of Wednesday because of a delay in visa approval. There is, however, some interest in Easah Suliman, a former England U-20 captain, who is now playing for Pakistan.

When India takes the field this time, Asian Cup will once again be in focus, for the SAFF event will form an important competition in the lead-up to the 2023 edition.

On paper, the Pakistan tie is winnable. India’s South Asian neighbour is ranked 195, 94 places below India, and lost all three matches against Kenya, host Mauritius and Djibouti at the recently held four-nation tournament.

It is also set to start the match with hardly any practice, for it would have arrived in Bengaluru only in the wee hours of Wednesday because of a delay in visa approval. There is, however, some interest in Easah Suliman, a former England U-20 captain, who is now playing for Pakistan.

-N.Sudarshan