India vs Nepal SAFF 2021 Championship final: All you need to know
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri, who has scored four goals in four games will be the player to watch when the Blue Tigers take on Nepal in the final.
Published : Oct 15, 2021 18:48 IST
A recap of India's journey to the final
Despite a jittery start to its SAFF 2021 championship campaign, India finds itself in the final for a record 12th time against Nepal, which is contesting its first.
The Blue Tigers, led by captain Sunil Chhetri, started with a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Bangladesh and followed that up with a goalless draw against lower-ranked Sri Lanka.
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Threatened with a shock exit from the competition, which India has won seven times, the Blue Tigers picked up the pace at the right time as they defeated Nepal 1-0 and Maldives 3-1 respectively, to top the group stage with eight points from four games.
Chhetri has been the standout player for India with four goals from as many matches.
In the event of the final ending in a draw after 90 minutes, the teams will play another 30 minutes of extra-time and also has the option of a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
India vs Nepal Head to Head record
India relishes a great record against Nepal. In the 22 times they have faced each other, the Blue Tigers have 15 wins, while Nepal has managed just two and five games have ended in a draw.
Both teams played each other in two international friendlies in September, in which India won one and drew the other.
What happened when they met last time
When the two teams clashed in the group stage, the Indians clinched a close 1-0 victory courtesy of a well-taken Sunil Chhetri volley in the 82nd-minute.
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When is the final and what time does the match start
The SAFF Championship 2021 final is on October 16 and will kick-off at 08:30 pm IST.
Where can you watch the final
The final will be telecast live on the Eurosport TV channel in India. The final will also be live-streamed on the discovery+ website and app.
Complete India Squad
Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh, Vishal Kaith, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Mandar Rao Dessai, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose, Seriton Fernandes. Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Lalengmawia, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Glan Martins, Suresh Singh, Liston Colaco, Yasir Mohammad. Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri |
Complete Nepal Squad
Goalkeepers: Kiran Chemjong, Bishal Shrestha, Deep Karki Defenders: Rohit Chand, Ananta Tamang, Suman Aryal, Dinesh Rajbanshi, Gautam Shrestha Midfielders: Sujal Shrestha, Bishal Rai, Sunil Bal, Suman Lama, Santosh Tamang, Tej Tamang, Pujan Uparkoti, Surajju Thakuri, Kamal Thapa, Ayush Ghalan, Nitin Thapa Forwards: Anjan Bista, Aashish Lama, Manish Dangi, Nawayug Shrestha |