Afghanistan hold India to 1-1 draw

KABUL held India to a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup being played in New Delhi on Saturday.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan — are participating in the championship that got underway on Friday.

Afghan striker, Bilal Arezo, stunned the hosts when he scored the first goal four minutes into the game, but Indians levelled the match seven minutes later, Afghan coach Humayun Kargar told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The side performed beyond his expectations, Kargar said, hoping Afghans would march into the next stage of the tournament.

An Afghan spectator at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium said the Afghan side played well by frustrating Indians’ attempts to find the nets.

mm/ma/mud