A new SAFF Championship started and India, the all-time favorite, couldn’t find the victory in the first game. The team only managed to obtain a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh despite playing with one more player for over 30 minutes. The Blue Tigers started with a goal in the 26th minute thanks to a goal from the captain Sunil Chhetri, and the team ended with a partial victory in halftime. If you placed a bet for India to win the first half with the best betting software VIP-IBC, let us tell you that you also won big!
The resume of the second half seemed great for India, when Bishwanath forced a fault against Liston Colaco and, as the last man, received a straight red card. However, the team didn’t take advantage of the majority, and occasions were seen on both sides of the field. In the 71st minute, Bangladesh completed a double change and only 3 minutes later, their goal came after a corner kick, where Arafat didn’t miss his chance after being unmarked.
Despite having only 10 men, Bangladesh looked a bit more committed to finding a second goal than India. While the Blue Tigers were very conservative and focused mostly on ball possession, Bangladesh created some goal opportunities with counterattacks.
With this first draw, India accumulates a balance of 3 draws and 2 victories in the last 5 matches played. The good news is that the team scored goals in all 5 games and they are still undefeated. The next rounds will be against Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Maldivas.
Sri Lanka seems to be an easy opponent for India in the papers. Both teams have faced each other two times and India took both of the victories by 2-0. With Nepal, the same history repeats, where India has taken 6 victories, 3 draws, and 0 losses against them.
The last round against Maldivas looks like a promising one for India. The reason is that Malvidas is the current champion after defeating India by 2-1 in the final played in 2018. India has 7 titles now. As the most successful team in the SAFF Championship, it will seek revenge and claim the trophy back. Don’t miss any of the actions of this championship and keep yourself updated in our sports news section!
