KARACHI, 20 December 2005 — India captured the crown jewel of the region’s football circuit when they toppled defending champions Bangladesh 2-0 in the SAFF Championship final here at the People’s Sports Complex recently.
Mehraj Uddin returned from suspension to score a crucial goal as his skipper Baichung Bhutia also regained his golden touch to lift India to a record-improving third gold medal in the eight-nation competition.
The memorable triumph was sweet revenge for the Indians who were dethroned by Bangladesh at the SAFF champions in Dhaka in 2003.
It came as a landmark for Bhutia as the star striker became the first player in the event’s history to win the gold for the third time. He played pivotal roles in India’s title-winning appearances in 1997 and 1999. The Sikim-born Bhutia, India’s first footballer to play professionally in Europe, was elated as his teammates celebrated a well-deserved victory.
“It is a huge win,” said the 29-year-old who scored India’s second goal to seal the fate of the match in their favor. “I believe it was teamwork that got us through.”
The Indians, without their key player Mehtab Hussain who was suspended for the final after getting his second yellow card of the contest in India’s 1-0 semifinal win over the Maldives, began cautiously against the more aggressive defending champions.
Bangladesh, fielding an unchanged side after edging out hosts Pakistan 1-0 in the semifinals, showed sparks of their brilliance in the initial stages of the final but were soon outwitted by their rivals as the battle progressed.
Bangladesh got a solid chance in the 20th minute when Nanjangud Manju’s shot from outside the box yielded no result. Bhutia was in action two minutes later but he was unable to capitalize on a free kick from the edge of the area.
India slowly gained control and went ahead in the 33rd minute when an unmarked Mehraj got a perfect ball in the penalty box. He sent the ball in the back of the net with a stunning shot that swerved past the Bangladeshi defenders into the bottom left corner.
Mehraj, who sat out the semifinal against the Maldives because of a red card in a league match against Bangladesh, almost made it 2-0 for India but his acrobatic volley was blocked well by a Bangladeshi defender.
Bangladesh made frantic efforts to gain an equalizer but were thwarted by a tight Indian defense. With just ten minutes left, Bhutia took the match away from the holders when he came sliding to put the ball in on an assist from substitute Abdul Hakim. Bhutia’s second goal of the tournament was enough to help India regain the SAFF trophy in an emphatic manner.
Bhutia received the trophy from Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. There was some consolation for 2003 finalists the Maldives when their trio Ali Ashfaq, Ahmed Thariq and Ibrahim Fazeel finished joint top scorers with three goals apiece.
