The defending champions needed a penalty from Sunil Chhetri to break the deadlock in the second half, which also saw Afghanistan goalkeeper Hameedullah Yousufzari sent off for using foul language against the referee. Goals from Clifford Miranda, Jeje Lalpekhula and substitute Sushil Kumar Singh then added some gloss to the scoreline, as India used their extra-man advantage to win a record sixth SAFF Cup.
After a goalless opening half in which Afghanistan completely outplayed India, the match was turned on its head in a manic eight minutes when Faisal Safa fouled Jeje inside the box in the 63rd minute. Yousufzari took the decision rather badly, but his aggressive reaction towards referee Sukhbir Singh hurt his team far more as the 30-year-old custodian was given his marching orders.
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