Sunil Chhetri tied the SAFF Championship record for most goals scored. Anwar Ali's own goal in the 92nd minute interrupted India's string of eight straight clean sheets. The Indian men's football team finished second in Group A of the SAFF Championship 2023 following a 1-1 tie against Kuwait on Tuesday at Bangalore's Sri Kanteerava Stadium.

Sunil Chhetri's 92nd goal in his 140th international match, coupled with his 23rd goal in the SAFF Championship, matched the record set by Ali Ashfaq of the Maldives

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An own goal by Indian defender Anwar Ali in the 92nd minute tied the game and gave Kuwait the group A title.India and Kuwait have already qualified for the semifinals by winning their previous matches against Pakistan and Nepal, respectively. India needed a win to keep the group lead because Kuwait had scored more goals in their previous two games, even though both teams were tied on points and goal differential.

The Indian football team's run of eight consecutive shutouts came to an end in a 1-1 draw with Kuwait. India won't know their semifinal opponent until Wednesday, when Group B, which is being led by Lebanon, is finished.

With six replacements and an offensive mindset, India entered the game. Among the six substitutes for India, Ashique Kuruniyan, Mahesh Singh, and Lalengmawia Changte made an impression even though their efforts did not result in goals.

Kuwait, which is ranked 143rd in the FIFA rankings right now, matched India's aggression in the first half of the encounter. They had taken the lead in the 26th minute thanks to their great player Shabaib Al-Khaldi, but the goal was reversed due to an earlier infraction.


However, in the second minute of stoppage time, Sunil Chhetri's deft volley from Anirudh Thapa's corner handed India the victory. The visiting team continued to pose a significant danger for the remainder of the first half.

End-to-end play persisted in the second half, but Kuwait's relentless high press was unable to penetrate the tenacious Indian backline.


Lalianzuala Chhangte and Sunil Chhetri provided chances for Udanta Singh and Rahim Ali in the 82nd minute after getting into the box.


However, Rahim Ali and Hamad Al-Khalaf of Kuwait received red cards in the 92nd minute. In the second minute of extra time, India, down to 10 players, gave up an equaliser when Abdullah Al-Baloushi's desperate cross struck Indian defender Anwar Ali and went straight into the net.


On Saturday, India will compete in their semifinal game there.