Bangladesh, who finished second in the group, will face Group A toppers Kuwait in the semi-finals, on Saturday. India will play Lebanon in the other semi-final on the same day.
Lebanon has topped the group with an all-win record in the four-team group. With this win, Lebanon set up a semi-final clash with India to be played on Saturday, July 1, 2023. The two teams met recently in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar, where India emerged the winners.
Lebanon came out all guns blazing and did all the damage in the first half, with four different scorers finding the net. Aleksandar Ilic's side are now on six points, followed by both Bangladesh and Maldives on three points. Bhutan, yet to open their account, are bottom of the table.
Lebanon, ranked 99 in the FIFA rankings, are one of the two teams who are playing in the SAFF Championship for the first time as they have been invited from outside of the SAFF region.
"I hope Kuwait and Lebanon feel welcome in every sense here in this beautiful city of Bengaluru. This SAFF Championship is going to be very competitive. Our group is special (Pakistan, Nepal and Kuwait), and every game will be different. The crowd will enjoy good football, and let's hope for
Captain Sunil Chhetri and winger Lallianzuala Chhangte scored the two goals that led to India lifting the Intercontinental Cup. India have played six matches so far in 2023 and kept clean sheets in all of them.
In what was the first-ever tournament for the Blue Tigers in the Odisha capital, the fans were treated to a fantastic spectacle over the course of four matches, where India did not concede any goals en route to reclaiming the title they last won in 2018.
With the Intercontinental Cup culminating in the keenly awaited final clash between India and Lebanon, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) representatives arrived at Kalinga Stadium to witness the historic moment.