Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kathmandu: Afghanistan clinched maiden South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship title by beating India 2-0 in the final played at the Dashrath Stadium on Wednesday.
Mustafa Azadzoy and Sandjar Ahmadi were on the scoresheet as the Afghans comfortably outwitted the six-time champions India who were playing to defend their title won in 2011.
Afghan coach Yousuf Kargar was delighted with the brilliant performance of his team throughout the competition and warned South Asian giants India saying the triumph heralded the new chapter of Afghan football in the region.
“Until Afghanistan will be in this region, India cannot rule now,” he was quoted by The Himalayan Times.
“We claimed the historical trophy in a style. It was a good revenge for us because we defeated a team that was mentored by a foreign coach and had many quality players. It is probably the greatest achievement for Afghanistan football and the whole nation,” added the Afghan coach.
Azadzoy tapped in from the six-yard after unselfish Belal Arezo released an ideal ball off Mustafa Hadid cross in the 9th minute.
As India took an offensive approach, Ahmadi chipped above Indian goalie Subrata Paul after the goalie’s clearance off a powerful strike from Belal landed in front of him in the 62nd minute to ensure the historical win.
With the win, the Afghans also pursed USD 50,000 as cash prize while the Indians got USD 25,000. Mansur Fagiryar of the winning side was adjudged most valuable player of the tournament while Ali Ashfaq of the Maldives was topscorer with 10 goals. Hosts Nepal were adjudged ‘Fair Play’ team.
Afghanistan are one of the qualified teams from South Asia alongside with hosts Maldives who will be featuring in the finals of AFC Challenge Cup 2014. The winner of the AFC Challenge Cup 2014 will book a ticket to the Asia’s premier national team competition AFC Asian Cup 2015 to be held in Australia.