India triumph over Syria via tie-breaker to defend their Nehru Cup title on Monday night.
Football does that you. You chew your nails, you skip a beat and you play havoc with your blood pressure. More so, when the Indian team takes to the ground for an encounter like Nehru Cup final.
It wasn’t any different this Monday as well. Emotions were at their wildest best as Syria’s Hamzeh Alattouni missed the penalty and India defended their Nehru Cup title in style.
As India triumphed 6-5 over the last edition’s runners-up Syria, fans jumped the barriers and ran onto the field to congratulate their heroes of the day. And, at that moment even the police personnel were rendered helpless.
Match action in pics
After both the teams failed to reach a conclusion in the allotted 90 minutes, Rennedy Singh put India ahead in the 114th minute.
The crowd had just started the celebrations, when Syria’s Ali Dyab proved them to be premature. He led his side back into the contention in the very last minute of the extra time.
With the crowd shocked and the stadium going pin-drop silent, India coach Bob Houghton and his Syrian counterpart Fajer Ebrahim prepared their sides for the penalty shoot-out.
Both the sides made sure that the match, which had started on a high note, ended the same way. Egged on by the crowd, Houghton’s wards had started raiding the rival area right from the first minute.
As India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia and his younger partner Sunil Chettri led a slew of attacks into the Syrian half, they, however, just could not breach the physically-superior rival defence.
Bhutia was cautioned by the referee for going down in the 28th minute after a rumble in the Syrian area.
The visitors, who had a comparatively quieter outing in the first half, came out all firing in the second part of the match. But the Indian custodian Subrata Pal was at his best as usual and warded off the danger every time the Indian defence went into a momentary lapse.
India almost put a lid on the encounter in the 80th minute. Steven Dias played an accurate volley to Chettri in the 18-yard box. But the striker’s header just went off the mark by a whisker.
With both the sides exchanging shots at each other’s post regularly, the tie advanced into the extra time. Houghton threw in Rennedy into the battleground in the 100th minute.
The senior midfielder proved his coach right when in the 114th minute he landed his free-kick into the Syria net, leaving custodian Mosab Balhous stunned and stands going wild.
The winning feeling was yet to sink in when Syria reminded all that it was not yet over. Dyab’s sharp header went zooming past the Indian custodian, Pal, and referee blew the whistle for the end of the extra time. Thrillers don’t get better than this. It was time for the nervous moments of the penalty shootout.
Climax Lawrence easily slotted the first ball home. Syria’s Raja Rafe followed suite. The twist of fate then made its presence felt when India’s goal hero Rennedy missed the following spot-kick. Pal made amends for that as he got his hand to Wael Ayan’s shot and the ball went out after hitting the post.
Chettri took the lead for India as the Delhi boy calmly lodged the sphere into the net. Then it was time for another master display from Pal. This time Ahmad Haj Muhmad’s shot met with Pal’s left hand and it kissed the crossbar before flying out. Steven Dias had no difficulty in converting the next one.
Now, with Syria in a position to lose in case of missing their fourth strike, skipper Balhous took the mantle upon himself. He didn’t break his side’s hopes.
India’s Mehrajuddin Wadoo, however, failed to convert which could have been the winning stroke. Abdul Fatah Alaga made no mistake with the fifth one to keep his side in the contention.
With the match delicately balanced, Anwar walked towards the goal area to take the first shot in the sudden death. Fans heaved a sigh of relief as the sturdy defender sent Balhous the wrong way and scored.
Alattouni’s shot then flew above the woodwork and Houghton’s boys got their third international title in three years. And, this time it wasn’t the customary. “We are the champions” but our very own “Chak De India” to cap a memorable evening.
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