BENGALURU: Supremacy in South Asia is nothing new for the Indian football team, which has already won the regional title eight times. Precisely why the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was open to the idea of guest teams in the SAFF Championship to raise the competition level.
Both India and Bangladesh benefited from the move as they took on Kuwait and Lebanon, respectively, in the semifinals that went into extra time. Even as the Bengal Tigers went out, the Blue Tigers battled past Lebanon via the tie-breaker to set up a final against Kuwait, a team battling to regain lost glory in world football.
