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SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan Live Blog, news, and Live Updates

India defeated Pakistan by 4-0 in their opening clash of the SAFF Championship 2023 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

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Abishek Goswami
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Nepal vs India | SAFF Championship | SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan Live Blog, news, and Live Updates | Sportz Point

Sunil Chhetri scored a hattrick as India won their SAFF Championship opener against Pakistan by 4-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. India were well ahead of Pakistan on paper in almost every way and happened exactly the same in the match. Pakistanis were found nowhere in the match. Sunil Chhetri now have scored 90 International goals for India, 2nd highest in Asia. India were cruising in the first half but it was only close to halftime as their head coach Igor Stimac provoked a melee by knocking the ball out of Pakistan's player's hands as he prepared to take a throw-in. Stimac ended up getting sent off after things calmed down. In the second half, India scored twice. The first one came from Chhetri who completed his hattrick and the last punch came from Udanta. India demolished their arch-rivals and now going forward to face the next opponent. 

Read Also: SAFF Championship 2023: Kuwait vs Nepal Live Blog, news, Live Updates, and Match Report

SAFF Championship 2023 | India vs Pakistan: Match Report

First Half:

India started and finished the game in a dominant way. The Blue Tigers got a huge lead after the Pakistan keeper made a mistake in the 10th minute and Sunil Chhetri made no mistake to capitalise. 4 minutes after, India doubled up the lead as Chhetri showed his calmness during taking the penalty. After that, nothing happened interesting till the 40th minute but then the chaos started. India's head coach Igor Stimac provoked a melee by knocking the ball out of Pakistan's player's hands as he prepared to take a throw-in. Stimac ended up getting sent off after things calmed down. The first half ended with a 2-0 scoreline.

Second Half:

The second half started and India continued their dominance right from the start. To be fair, Pakistan were found nowhere in the match and eventually, they conceded another penalty. Sunil Chhetri delivered again and completed his hat trick. He also became the 2nd highest Asian goalscorer (90) with this goal. Udanta scored another one for India in the 81st minute and it confirmed the demolition of Pakistan. The match ended with a 4-0 scoreline in favour of India and they started their campaign with a healthy 3 points.

SAFF Championship: Sunil Chhetri and Lallianzuala Chhangte | Sportz Point

Sunil Chhetri and Lallianzuala Chhangte

Image - Twitter

Pakistani coach said after the match, "India played well. They deserved the victory. Our players arrived at 1 pm today after a 16 hours flight. So, yes, we could not expect that much from the boys"

Indian assistant coach said, "We have kept a clean sheet. We are very happy with that. The defence is playing well because we have been practising well and playing more matches. It is helping us too. It was a red card (for Stimac). But it was harsh because Pakistani players came and pushed him as well. We are not taking any team lightly. Nepal would be a tough opponent."

SAFF Championship 2023 | India vs Pakistan: Live Blog

India vs Pakistan |  7:05 P.M.

India vs Pakistan |  India's SAFF Championship schedule

After this game, India will face Kuwait on June 24 and Nepal on June 27. All the matches will be played at the Kanteerava Stadium.

India vs Pakistan |  7:19 P.M.

The two sides completed their warm-ups.

India vs Pakistan |  7:21 P.M.

"Before the Pakistan match, whenever we met the boys, it was all hunky dory. Even when I was in Pakistan once or twice we've played here and there… We were all fine and friendly. We are all nice, they speak Punjabi, we speak Punjabi, the moment the whistle blows I don't know what happens," Chettri said recently.

"It's by default, just the sense of anyone but them. Maybe it's ingrained in our upbringing as Indians and I'm pretty sure they will say the same thing. The hostility, the fact that we don't want to lose against them comes in," he added.

India vs Pakistan |  7:23 P.M. | National anthems

The place is packed to the rafters, the two sides have lined up side by side for their national anthems.

SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan |  7:26 P.M. | Starting XI

  • India XI: Amrinder; Bose, Anwwar, Jhingan, Kotal, Thapa, Sahal, Jeakson, Chhangte, Ashique, Chhetri
  • Pakistan XI: Hanif; Sufyan, Iqbal, Suliman (C), Musa, Otis, Nabi, Bashir, Hamid, Uzair, Hayat

India vs Pakistan |  7:31 P.M. | 1′ (1st half) | Kickoff

The first match between India and Pakistan in India is off to a start. It started with an early foul on Thapa.

India vs Pakistan | 5′ (1st half)

The Blue Tigers have had more of the ball so far, as one would expect, but haven't got a proper chance to show for it.

India vs Pakistan | 7′ (1st half) | Chance for India

It comes from a mistake by Pakistan goalkeeper Saqib Hanif, his goal kick is hit straight at Chhetri who runs forward and takes a shot from well outside the box, it hits the foot of a Pakistan defender and back to the goalkeeper who takes care of the danger. 

GOAL! India 1-0 Pakistan | 10′ (1st half)

Another mistake from the Pakistan goalkeeper, this time Chhetri capitalises. It was a regular back pass to Hanif, Chhetri runs towards him to put pressure, but he kicks it to his right, loses control of it and the Indian captain takes the ball and slotted it into the empty net.

India vs Pakistan | 15′ (1st half) | Penalty for India

Thapa takes a shot from the left-hand corner of the box, it hits a Pakistan defender. He had his hand in an unnatural position.

SAFF Championship 2023: GOAL! India 2-0 Pakistan | 16′ (1st half)

As calm as it gets from the Indian captain. The keeper went the right way but could do nothing about it. Chhetri claimed his 89th International goal for India.

India vs Pakistan | 25′ (1st half)

A very well-worked move from India ended with Subhashish's crossing being blocked. Pakistan's full-back covered him pretty well. The corner kick from the left means nothing.

India vs Pakistan | 31′ (1st half) |  Chhetri's shot went wide

Chhetri takes the free kick and it flies just wide of the near post. He has already equalled Mokhtar Dahari of Malaysia as the second-highest-scoring Asian player of all time, and joint-fourth highest overall.

India vs Pakistan | 40′ (1st half) | Offside

The flagman called for offside long before Chhangte lined up his shot. He gets some words from the referee after that, probably about the fact that he almost ignored the offside whistle. 

India vs Pakistan | 45′ (1st half) | Red Card for Stimac

Jhinghan and Nabi have also been booked. Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli, the former Indian defender, is now in the touchline for the hosts. Stimac didn't have to do anything. Chhetri and Pakistan captain Hassan Bashir also get a talking-to from the ref. The pair had been advocating for calm and peace during the entire skirmish but Chhetri shows the ref that he is not happy with his coach being sent off. 

SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan | Half-Time | 2:0

Kuwait scored two goals courtesy of Sunil Chhetri as they're halfway through getting three points from their opening fixture in the SAFF Championship 2023 in Bengaluru. Pakistan were poor on the ball and now find themselves in a difficult position after the first half.

India vs Pakistan | 8:35 P.M. | 46′ | Kick off 2nd half

Kuruniyan charges down the left into the box and gets caught in 2 minds about squaring it or taking the shot. He ends up passing it to the Pakistan goalkeeper.

India vs Pakistan | 53′ (2nd half) | Substitutions - Pakistan

Pakistan make two changes. Indian fans greeted them with loud boos. Any friendly emotions from the crowd towards the away side before the start of the match are not there anymore.

India vs Pakistan | 65′ (2nd half) | Substitutions - India

Anirudh Thapa off for Rohit Kumar. Pritam Kotal was taken off for Nikhil Poojary.

SAFF Championship 2023: GOAL! India 3-0 Pakistan | 73′ (2nd half) | Hat-trick for Chhetri

He puts it into the top right corner this time. Hardly any celebrations as he now becomes the second-highest Asian goalscorer in international football (90). 

GOAL! India 3-0 Pakistan | 81′ (2nd half) | Udanta scores

Udanta controls the long pass with one touch and slots it past the Pakistan goalkeeper. India running away with it now. 

SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan | Full-Time | 4:0

The referee blows the whistle, and India keep a clean sheet for the seventh time in a row. Another Chhetri hat-trick and a good finish towards the end from Udanta Singh give India a straightforward victory. 

Football Indian Football Indian Footballers Saff Championship Sunil Chhetri Sandesh Jhingan