KATHMANDU: India won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U19 Championship 2023 with a resounding 3-0 victory over Pakistan at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium on Saturday.

The fierce rivals went hard at each other in the first half of the blockbuster SAFF U19 Championship 2023 final, barring each other from scoring the opener.

Pakistan’s team, fuelled with momentum, heading into the final, displayed great resilience against the Indian attack and denied several chances.

The Green Shirts, however, failed to imitate their defensive skills in the second half and India, as a result, managed to open their account in the 64th minute, courtesy of an outside-the-box thunderbolt from Kigpen.

The second-half opener boosted India’s morale and they pressed Pakistan’s defence with more intensity and eventually got the reward in the 85th minute when Kigpen successfully converted a free kick.

India went into a ruthless counter-attacking mode in injury time, which paved the way for them to score their third goal by Goyary’s header.

A thumping 3-0 victory over Pakistan in the final meant India successfully defended their title, which they won in last year.

Pakistan made their way to the SAFF U19 Championship 2023 final as they edged Bhutan 6-5 on the penalty shoot-out after their nail-biting semi-final finished goalless at the end of extra time.

Pakistan’s goalkeeper Sahil Gul’s sensational save in the penalty shoot-out propelled the green shirts to clinch a narrow 6-5 victory over spirited Bhutan.

Earlier, Pakistan booked their spot in the final four of the ongoing tournament by holding Maldives for a 1-1 stalemate.

Pakistan Squad for SAFF U19 Championship 2023

Goalkeepers: Sahil Gul, Mohsin Khan and Muhammad Abdullah

Defenders: Muhammad Sadam, Muhammad Adeel, Asad Nasir, Ans Amin, Khurshid Alam, Muhammad Raheel, Shayan Ali, Kamil Ahmad Khan, Abid Ali, Hannan Naveed and Najeeb Ullah

Midfielders: Ali Zafar, Muhammad Azan and Awais Khan

Forwards: Shahjahan, Muhammad Hassan, Faisal Ahmad, Abdul Wahab, Muhammad Haroon Zafar and Muhammad Adeel Younas

Team Officials: Shadab Ifthikhar (Head Coach), Mohsan Ul Hussnain (Assistant Coach), Khurram Shahzad (Goal Keeper Coach), Aamna (Media), Muhammad Abdullah and Muhammad Samama (Physio) and Zohair Gondal (Team Manager).

READ: Asian Games 2023: India blunt Pakistan in Hockey