SAFF Championship: Sunil Chhetri, Mahesh Singh Naorem help India down Nepal

Mahesh Singh Naorem’s first goal for India ticked another box in what has been a breakout season for the wide midfielder from Manipur. The substitute, who won a penalty minutes into his second international in March, started against Nepal in the SAFF Championship on Saturday and scored in the 70th. Eight minutes prior, he had provided the assist for Chhetri’s 91st international goal as defending champions India wore down a stubborn Nepal to win 2-0 and make the semi-final.

That Nepal had the best chance of the first half was not a reflection of how the game went but it showed that they had the smarts to probe a team that, at 101, was 74 places above them in FIFA ranking. Under Vincenzo Albert Annese, who won the I-League with Gokulam Kerala and had a brief stint at NorthEast United, Nepal tried to hit on the break, disrupt India’s rhythm by taking long injury breaks when they could and absorb the pressure when they couldn’t.

But for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s snap save in the 17th minute to Anjan Bista’s rasping drive from range, Nepal would have been ahead. Bista’s first-timer was off a Mehtab Singh clearance from a corner-kick. Singh and Sandhu were among the eight changes made by assistant coach Mahesh Gawali, standing-in for suspended head coach Igor Stimac who was in the stands at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Bimal Gharti Magar and Laken Limbu combining to try and find Manish Dangi on the left was another move that nearly caught out India as did Dangi stealing off Akash Mishra. That move broke down because Rohit Kumar tracked back and put in a clean tackle inside his penalty area.

Of course, had Sahal Abdul Samad not shanked his shot in the 16th minute after Naorem found him with a pull-back, things could have been different. But India’s lack of finesse in the front third meant greater possession didn’t translate into anything meaningful. ”We could not do a lot in the first half,” said Chhetri in the post-match flash interview.

But the indications of what could happen were there. A long ball from Sandhu for Mishra followed neat combination play between the left-back and Mahesh and led to a free-kick. In the absence of Brandon Fernandes, the responsibility for free-kicks seem to be Chhetri’s though it might have been better had he left it to, say Anirudh Thapa, and taken up position inside the six-yard box. Twice, Udanta Singh broke free but couldn’t deliver the final ball.

Like in the final of the Intercontinental Cup, it came together for India in the second half. Samad began finding passes he couldn’t earlier; it was his ball that reached Mahesh for the first goal in the 62nd minute. The arrival of Jeakson Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte also increased the pressure on Nepal.

In Bhubaneswar, it was Chhangte who had found Chhetri with an assist from the right. In Bengaluru, it was Naorem who did that from the left and with his parents and wife in the stands, Chhetri stabbed home. Samad’s strong solo run helped make it 2-0 after he passed to Chhetri whose chip Nepal goalkeeper Kiran Limbu palmed into the horizontal. Naorem was there to finish it. Arms raised, the midfielder from Manipur was soon wrapped in an orange huddle.