![\"Indian-Players-sing-the-National-Anthem-prior-to-Pakistan-match\"](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Indian-Players-sing-the-National-Anthem-prior-to-Pakistan-match.jpg\")
Kathmandu: India played Pakistan on the football field and India won.<\/p>\nKathmandu: India played Pakistan on the football field and India won.<\/p>\n
The Blue started their defence in the 2013 SAFF Championship with a hard-earned victory over Pakistan at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Sunday (September 1). The victory took them to three points and they next play Bangladesh on September 3.<\/p>\n
India took the lead in the 14th minute. Nirmal Chhetri tried to find an onrushing Sunil Chhetri between the two rival Central Defenders on the top of the rival goal area. In a desperate attempt to keep Chhetri off, Pakistan Captain Samar Ishaq\u2019s clearance entered his own net.<\/p>\n
Francis Fernandes was a livewire on the right. He tormented Kamran Khan whenever he had him in an one-to-one situation. So much so that Khan had to be replaced in the 33th minute itself.\n<\/p>\n
Francis was always able to keep himself free from his marker. And once Mehtab Hossain and Lenny Rodrigues found him, he wrecked havoc. He timed his runs to perfection, went round Khan and essayed crosses behind the rival defence.<\/p>\n
India started off on a flash, pressed hard and were rewarded with four corner kicks in the first four minutes itself. But Pakistan regrouped after Saddam Hussain replaced Khan but the Indian defence stood tall.<\/p>\n
Immediately after resumption, Jeje Lalpekhlua barged in from nowhere trying to head in a Mehtab free-kick down the right but it went inches wide.<\/p>\n
Another header sailed over agonisingly in the 62nd minute \u2013 this time Gouramangi Singh staying unlucky. The next minute, Chhetri and Jeje combined but Pakistan averted the danger. And then off the next attack, Chhetri averted Zesh Rehman but his effort was thwarted by Pakistan custodian Yousaf Ejaz Butt.<\/p>\n
Sunil Chhetri could have sealed the fate in the 75th minute. He snatched the ball from the centre-line, played an one-two with Mehtab Hossain and found himself all in the clear. But his left footed placement went wide. Off the next attack, his left-footer was again fisted away by Butt.<\/p>\n
Chhetri, perhaps, wasn\u2019t destined to score because in the 80th minute, he found himself again in the clear inside the Pakistan penalty box but this time too, his placement just went wide. The fate stayed the same off the next Indian attack, this time too, Chhetri\u2019s powerful shot missing by a whisker.<\/p>\n
His wait to overhaul IM Vijayan as India\u2019s second-ever highest goalscorer, continues.<\/p>\n
In the 85th minute, another of Francis Fernandes\u2019 shot from inside the box narrowly missed the mark. But all of that didn\u2019t matter. India won one-nil.<\/p>\n
INDIA: Subrata Paul; Nirmal Chettri, Gouramangi Singh, Arnab Mondal, Mohanraj Nallappan (Syed Rahim Nabi \u2013 63rd); Francis Fernandes, Lenny Rodrigues, Mehtab Hossain, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Allwyn George (Jewel Raja Shaikh \u2013 46th), Sunil Chhetri (Captain).<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Blue started their defence in the 2013 SAFF Championship with a hard-earned victory over Pakistan at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Sunday (September 1). The victory took them to three points and they next play Bangladesh on September 3.<\/p>\n India took the lead in the 14th minute. Nirmal Chhetri tried to find an onrushing Sunil Chhetri between the two rival Central Defenders on the top of the rival goal area. In a desperate attempt to keep Chhetri off, Pakistan Captain Samar Ishaq\u2019s clearance entered his own net.<\/p>\n Francis Fernandes was a livewire on the right. He tormented Kamran Khan whenever he had him in an one-to-one situation. So much so that Khan had to be replaced in the 33th minute itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-latest"],"yoast_head":"\nKathmandu: India played Pakistan on the football field and India won.<\/p>\n