One of the reasons the 2023 SAFF Championship welcomed two West Asian sides in Kuwait and Lebanon was to make the tournament more competitive. India, after all, had won eight of the past 13 editions, and the presence of a couple of evenly matched teams would certainly liven up proceedings.
The India-Kuwait game on Tuesday fit the billing, and India nearly edged the contest before an unfortunate own goal denied it a famous win. On Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the hope is for another feisty encounter as the hosts will look to put one across Lebanon in the semifinals.
Recent history suggests that India has the edge, having beaten Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup final a fortnight ago and drawn the other group stage game in Bhubaneswar. Form-wise, India can take heart from the performance against Kuwait where it was the better team for large chunks of the match.
