Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made the difference once again as he saved a crucial penalty kick in the summit clash to help India beat Kuwait 5-4 in the shootout and clinch the SAFF Championship title for the ninth time here on Tuesday.

After five rounds of penalty kicks, the scoreline remained 4-4 and the sudden death rule was applied.

Mahesh Naorem scored for India but a diving Sandhu saved Kuwait captain Khaled Hajiah’s shot, sparking wild celebrations at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

In regulation time, Shabaib Al Khaldi had put Kuwait in the lead in the 14th minute before Lallianzuala Chhangte equalised in the 39th minute.

Defending champions India and Kuwait had played out an acrimonious 1-1 draw in their last group match.

This was the second time that India won the penalty shootout in this tournament. They had made it to Tuesday’s summit clash after beating Lebanon 4-2 on penalties in the semi-final on Saturday. Sandhu had also made a crucial save then.

Sunil Chhetri is tossed in the air by India teammates as they celebrate their victory against Kuwait in the final of the SAFF Championship at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday. PTI

For India, captain Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chhangte, Subasish Bose and Mahesh converted while Udanta Singh missed.

Before the shootout drama, Kuwait held a slight edge as they pressed forward for goals often in the first half.

Their relentlessness fetched the desired result in the 14th minute. Mobarak Al Faneeni released Abdullah Al Bloushi on the left wing with a deft pass. Al Bloushi found Shabaib Al Khaldi inside the box with an accurate cross which thelatter slotted past India custodian Sandhu to give Kuwait a 1-0 lead.

India could have levelled within a minute, but Kuwait goalkeeper Abdul Rahman blocked Chhangte’s long ranger. But Chhangte, who was named AIFF Men’s Player of the Year on Tuesday, was not to be denied a second time in the 39th minute.

After a lovely exchange of passes between Sahal Abdul Samad and captain Chhetri, the former found an unmarked Chhangte deep inside the box. Chhangte, India’s energetic No. 12, had little trouble in beating Abdul Rahman to find the equaliser.

That saved the day for India and made up for Chhetri’s failure to score during regulation time for the second match in a row.

In the second half, the action continued to flow thick and fast as both India and Kuwait searched for the winner. Both teams came close to scoring but were unable to add to their tally.

The match moved towards extra time for the second successive time for both teams.

Play during extra time too witnessed some frenetic action. But the decisive goal did not come, making a penalty shootout mandatory to pick the champion.

PTI