 Championship by defeating Nepal in the finale. ){kind=link}
India has clinched the title of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship by defeating Nepal in the finale. Nepal had qualified to the finale for the first time in the history of the Championship. India thrashed Nepal three goals to nil in the finale, played at the National Stadium, Male, the capital of the Maldives, on Saturday night. With this, India has earned the SAFF Championship title for the eighth time. Albeit the first half was in a goalless draw, India scored three goals in the second half.
Captain Sunil Chhetri, Suresh Singh Wangzam, and Sahal Abdul Samad scored a goal each for India. India had taken a lead with a head-goal by Chhetri in the 49th minute while Suresh scored in the 59th minute. India had played the final remaining in the top spot of the tournament in which five countries were vying. Nepal reached the final remaining in the second spot on the basis of Round Robin league. Nepal played four games of the Championship. It won two games while one game ended in a draw. Nepal was defeated by India 1-0 in the earlier game of the Championship. Nepal stopped Bangladesh to a 1-1 goal draw in the final game of the league stage and entered the final of the Championship. India had entered the final after winning two games and drawing in two.