For 9th time India won SAFF championship after defeating kuwait

India won the SAFF Championship title for the ninth time on 4 July after defeating Kuwait 5–4 in a penalty shootout at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Neither team could score a second goal in 30 minutes of extra time. In such a situation, the match was decided in a penalty shootout.
Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh helped secure the victory. He performed brilliantly in the penalty shootout to stop Kuwait captain Khalid Al Ibrahim’s last shot.
After the scheduled five shots, both teams were tied at four each. Udanta Singh and Kuwait’s Mohammad Abdullah missed out on goals for India. After a four-four draw, it was sudden death.

Naorem Mahesh Singh scored for India in the sudden death turn. Meanwhile, Kuwait captain Khalid’s shot was blocked by India’s goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh.
India previously won the title in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2021. In the tournament’s 14-year history, India has been the champion nine times and the runner-up four times.