Press Trust of India
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 2: India will look to exact revenge for the defeat they suffered two years ago when their young side takes on Afghanistan in the final of the SAFF Cup here Sunday. In 2013, the Afghans had defeated India 2-0 to lift the cup for the first time.
In recent years, strife-torn Afghanistan have emerged as a formidable challenge to six-time winners India as most of their players participate in various leagues abroad and thereby are better off in the basics of the game.
Coached by Stephen Constantine, the home side’s hegemony in the regional tournament will be once again tested by the defending champions, this time at the Trivandrum International Stadium. The passage to the final for both the teams has been smooth – with both India and Afghanistan winning all their games with ease.
The experienced skipper Sunil Chhetri along with Jeje Lalpekhlua form a potent combination upfront and have the ability to rattle any defence. They have been well-supported from the midfield by the likes of Holicharan Narzary and Lallianzuala Chhangte.
But even then coach Stephen Constantine is not ready to call his team the favourites in the final. “Afghanistan are the favourites because they have 15 players who play mostly in Europe. There is a huge gap between Asian and European players,” Constantine told reporters here Saturday.
“In fact, after the match against Guam (in 2018 World Cup qualifiers) almost all had raised eyebrows saying how we lose to a country which has a population of 90,000 people. But what they did not realise that it was a team comprising of US-based players. But we will be playing at home and I hope the fans cheer behind us and we can use it as an advantage,” Constantine added.
Six times champion India have been on a roll in this edition of the tournament having convincingly beaten all their opponents en route to the final but Constantine said the summit clash would be a difficult game.
“It’s hard to predict as to which area the match would be decided. It will be decided on all parts of the field. It is going to be a very difficult game. They are a team who can score goals and we need to be careful,” Constantine pointed out. “I know the momentum is with us and we can ill afford to lose it,” he added
Meanwhile Afghan coach Petr Segrt was quick to point out that India are at an advantage because they will be playing at home. “But even saying that, I think we have the capability to retain the title,” Segrt said. “The players know that it is the final that matters the most and they are ready to give their 110 per cent.”