The new South Asian Championship, which started after the International Football Day in June, has now reached the semi-final stage and decided the teams that will make it to the final, namely Kuwait and India. The two West Asian teams, who entered the tournament on a wildcard, did not qualify for the final because Lebanon lost 2-4 on penalties to India.
This year's South Asian Championship was held in India. As hosts, the Indian men's soccer team won consecutive group stage matches against Pakistan and Nepal and drew with Kuwait. It finished second in Group A on goal difference. Lebanon won consecutively against Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan for the first place in Group B, so the two teams met in the semifinals.
In the middle of last month, India and Lebanon played two matches, both four-nation invitational tournaments. The first match ended in a 0-0 draw and the second match ended in a 2-0 win over Lebanon.
Now meeting again half a month later, Lebanon naturally hoped to accomplish revenge, and in the end it didn't quite work out that way.
Statistically, Lebanon trailed India with 61% possession, 13-19 shots on goal, 3-6 shots on target and 2-5 corner kicks. In the end, he worked hard for 120 minutes for a 0-0 draw. Lebanon then failed to take both the first and fourth penalties in the penalty shootout. India hit the first four penalties. In the end, Lebanon lost 2-4 to India and missed the final of the South Asian Championship.
It must be good news for the national soccer team that Lebanon, one of its Asian Cup opponents, could not even win against India, showing that its real strength is below the third-tier Asian level. It will then win 3 points steadily.
Of course, the national soccer team will need to keep an eye on the progress of their rivals India as the team has qualified for the Asia Cup for the third time in a row and are not far behind against the national soccer team.
Since the start of 2023, India has gone unbeaten in its streak in all competitions. A total of 10 matches have been played with eight wins and two draws, the longest unbeaten streak in a natural year since the team entered the 21st century.
According to statistics, India's population is now over 1.4 billion, surpassing China as the most populous country in the world. Few other countries will be able to catch up with India's population size in the future.
