• Source:JND
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Year Ender 2023, Indian Men's Football Team: Football is the most popular and loved sport in the world but it is still finding its footing in India, a country that has an immense and unmatched obsession for cricket.

However, with every passing year, the craze for football is rising and shining and the year 2023 played a vital role in enhancing the situation heading forward.

The Indian football team witnessed many highs and lows this year and achieved promising success in this journey to make this sport one of the leading ones in the country.

With a FIFA ranking of 102, the team delivered an impressive performance, securing victories in key competitions such as the SAFF Championship and the Intercontinental Cup.

India's men's football team kicked off their preparations towards upcoming tournaments with a camp in Bhubaneswar in May and began their action in the new season with the Intercontinental Cup at home.

 

Tri-Nation International Football Tournament

India started the year 2023 with a title victory in the Tri-Nation International Football Tournament in March. They picked up a 2-0 win against the Kyrgyz Republic in the final at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal

Defender Sandesh Jhingan scored his first goal in six years to put India in the lead in the 34th minute. Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri netted from the spot in the 84th minute to double the lead.

India defeated Myanmar 1-0 in the opening match with the help of a goal from Anirudh Thapa towards the end of the first half.

The two wins out of two also helped India win the three-nation friendly tournament in Imphal in front of over 30,000 spectators.

Lallianzuala Chhangte was adjudged as the Player of the Tournament whereas Anirudh ended up as the top goal scorer.

 

Intercontinental Cup 2023

Sunil Chhetri-led side got the better of Lebanon 2-0 in the final to clinch the Intercontinental Cup 2023 title at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

This was also the Indian team's first win over Lebanon in 47 years and second in eight meetings.

Talking about the match, skipper Chhetri gave his team the early lead in the first minute of the second half before Lallianzuala Chhangte doubled it with a gal in in the 66th minute.

Chhangte also assisted in the first goal and was declared man of the match.

The tournament was played in the round-robin format with India, Lebanon, Vanuatu, and Mongolia as the participating teams.

India kicked off the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mongolia followed by a 1-0 victory against Vanuatu.

The Blue Tigers played their last league match against Lebanon which ended in a 0-0 draw before the match was repeated in the final of the tournament.

 

SAFF Championship 2023

The Indian team entered the SAFF Championship as the most successful team, having won nine of the 14 overall editions.

The Sunil Chhetri-led side emerged victorious for the ninth time after beating Kuwait 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout in the final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

The teams were divided into two groups with India drawn into Group A alongside Kuwait, Nepal, and Pakistan.

India kicked off the tournament with a massive 4-0 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan followed by an easy 2-0 win against Nepal.

India played out a 1-1 draw in their last group match against Kuwait.

In the semi-final match, India defeated Lebanon 4-2 on penalties after the match ended 0-0 after the extra time.

The summit clash between India and Kuwait also went to the penalties with the former clinching the thrilling victory by 5-4.

Sunil Chhetri was the top scorer of the tournament with five goals to his name.