Sunil Chhetri put India up 2-0 after Pakistan surrendered a penalty in the 16th minute...
Digital Desk: Pakistan goal defender Saqib Hanif made a great blunder, which Indian captain Sunil Chhetri used to give India a 1-0 lead at the SAFF Championship on Wednesday.
Hanif missed the kick on the outer edge of the box while attempting a simple clearance in the 10th minute of the game and completely lost the ball. Chhetri, who was lurking around the area, mounted towards the ball and slid it into the empty net.
As Pakistan lost a penalty in the 16th minute, Chhetri placed India at 2-0 in a few minutes.
Furthermore, it wasn't Hanif's first time making such a mistake. Hanif made an equally embarrassing gaffe four days ago against Djibouti, straying outside the penalty area, missing the ball completely, and giving their opponents an easy chance to score. Today was a similar story, as he missed the ball again while attempting to clear it from just beyond the box.
Following this match, Pakistan will compete in the SAFF Championship against Kuwait on June 24 and Nepal on June 27.
This is also the first football face-off between India and Pakistan since September 2018, when India defeated Pakistan 3-1 in the SAFF semifinals.
