Keen contest on the cards today
Sri Lanka’s only win of the competition came against Nepal
The ‘Kings’ of South Asian Football (SAFF) will be known at 6.30 pm today at the Trivandrum International Stadium in India when the champions of the last edition, Afghanistan and runners-up India, the host country, clash in an interesting encounter.
The winning team will be in line for a cash award of USD 50,000, the runners-up will be in line for USD 25,000. These awards have been arranged by the SAFF organisers.
Seven South Asian countries – without Pakistan — took part in a hectic 12 day competition and on the first semi-final India beat Maldives Islands 3-2 and in the second semi-final Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka 5-0. Thus two unbeaten teams Afghanistan and India qualified to meet in the final today.
It was the same two teams which faced each other in the 2013 and 2011 finals. In the 2013 final played in Nepal, Afghanistan won 2-0. In 2011, India triumphed over Afghanistan 4-0.
According to FIFA Rankings the two teams meeting in today’s final Afghanistan are in 150th place and India is placed 166th. In the history of the SAFF Afghanistan had entered the tournament in 2003. They won the championship at the last edition of the contest in 2013.
India has been participating in the contest since its inception 1993 and has won the title on six occasions – in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009 and 2011.
India was too strong for the Lankans
This time India entered the final from Group A, defeating Sri Lanka 2-0 and Nepal 4-1 and in the semi-finals beat the Maldives Islands.
On the other hand Afghanistan competing from Group B beat Bangladesh 4-0, beat Bhutan 3-0 and beat Maldives Islands 4-1, In the semi-final Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is ranked 194 according to FIFA Rankings which is the lowest ranking. In 1995 at the competition held in Sri Lanka beat India 1-0 to emerge champions. It is after six years that Sri Lanka has entered the semi-finals.
At the last edition of this contest held in Nepal Sri Lanka suffered a humiliating 0-10 defeat at the hands of Maldives. This is the worst defeat in the history of the SAFF Championships.
This time Sri Lanka fared better than last time. In the first game beat Nepal 1-0 and in the second game lost to India 0-2. Sri Lanka entered the semi-final by virtue of the fact that Pakistan did not turn up for the tournament and received a walk-over to be in the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka has fared much better this year than in the 2013 competition with a young team.
Afghanistan was too hot to handle as they handed Sri Lanka a 5-0 defeat