India won the 2015 SAFF championships

Tolo TV ad Lemar TV are broadcasting the match live in Afghanistan while the India vs Afghanistan SAFF Cup Final live stream is also available on YouTube in the war-ravaged nation.

A title win would be a huge boost for Constantine’s strategy of fielding young players.

Both teams have been unbeaten in the tournament. Stephen Constantine’s home side looked more dominant in their third consecutive SAFF Cup final against Afghanistan and regained the title which they had last won in 2011.

The British coach also warned that the Indian defenders will have to be at the top of their game in order to keep the in-form Afghan strikers at bay.

Chhetri had another chance soon after when he was was let loose by a defence splitting pass by Jeje just before half-time, but Azizi was quick to come off his line to avert the danger. Central midfield duo, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Rowlin Borges, controlled that crucial area of play as Afghanistan failed to settle into the rhythm that had seen them score 16 goals till the final.

Seconds in the second half, Jeje tried to catch the Afghani custodian off position with a lob, which eventually went over the cross bar.

The hosts took the lead ten minutes into first period of extra time when a quickly taken free-kick from inside the India half was launched deep into the opposition territory and Afghanistan’s failure to clear the danger allowed Chhetri to out-muscle Hashemi and slot the ball past Aziz into an unguarded net.

India, who had lost to Afghanistan 0-2 in the final of 2013 edition in Kathmandu, were clearly the better side in the final match between the two best teams of the regional tournament though they had to come back from one goal deficit and had to settle the match in the extra time. But in the end, India ran away with the victory courtesy captain Sunil Chhetri’s goal 11 minutes into extra time.

With striker Robin Singh out with an injury, Constantine would hope that star forward Sunil Chhetri will have the ability to get the goals.

A triumph tomorrow will be a sort of consolation for the Indian team after its disastrous outing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

But they were not to be denied in the 69th minute with Zubayr Amiri giving Afghanistan the lead. First, he punched Narayan Das’ long-range effort in the 84th minute over the crossbar.

Speaking at the Official Pre-Match Press Conference, Segrt said: “Both Teams are in the Finals of the Tournament to win and it will be a new day for both the Teams”.

With the fans hollering their nation too, spirits of the Men in Blue bolstered as they committed their heart and soul into the remaining time.

Sunil Chhetri celebrates after scoring against Afghanistan in the SAFF Cup final.