Without some drama, an India vs Pakistan game is never quite complete. On Wednesday, the Sree Kanteerava Stadium witnessed another adrenaline-pumping moment in the SAFF football competition between the two sides. With two goals from Sunil Chhetri, the home team was leading 2-0 as the rain-soaked first half dragged on. But India coach Igor Stimac’s slip-up suddenly made things more interesting.
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India 4-0 Pakistan: Sunil Chhetri HATTRICK, Blue Tigers kick off SAFF Championship 2023…
Abdullah Iqbal, a player from Pakistan, was about to make a throw-in when Stimac made the decision to intervene. Stimac attempted to take the ball away from the player, setting off wild responses among several foreign players and coaching staff. To separate the fiercely battling parties, the match officials, including the referee Prajwal Chhetri, had to step in.
As the altercation was put under control, referee Chhetri penalised Stimac for purposefully interfering with an opponent’s play by issuing him a red card. Mahesh Gawli, a former India defender, filled in for Stimac on the touchline for the remainder of the game since Stimac was unable to stand on the sidelines.
Twitter ERUPTS as Sunil Chhetri HATTRICK demolishes arch rivals in FIESTY SAFF Championship…
A few players from the Pakistan and India teams also received yellow cards for their uncalled-for interventions in the incident. As may be remembered, this is the first football encounter between India and Pakistan since their rivalry in the SAFF Championship semifinals in September 2018.
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India easily defeated Pakistan 4-0, demonstrating their dominance without a shadow of a doubt. The tigers in blue start off strong and quickly outperform their competition in every way. With a late goal from Uadnta and a strong performance from skipper Chhetri, the men in blue secure the victory and go atop group A on goal differential.
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