2nd "South Asian Football Federation" Cup - Goa, India

No Name of the Players Position DOB HT WT Club 1998/99
01 Virender Singh Goalkeeper 15-12-74 175 74 JCT Mills - Phagwara
02 Reazul Mustafa Defender 22-12-75 173 65 Mohun Bagan Athletic Club - Calcutta
04 Roberto Fernandes Defender 02-11-77 180 70 Salgaocar Sports Club - Goa
05 Daljit Singh Defender 24-01-76 175 64 JCT Mills - Phagwara
06 Shanmugam Venkatesh Midfielder 23-11-79 175 60 Salgaocar Sports Club - Goa
07 Jules Alberto Dias Midfielder 02-10-75 175 68 Salgaocar Sports Club - Goa
09 Bruno Coutinho [Captain] Forward 06-10-69 168 70 Salgaocar Sports Club - Goa
10 I.M. Vijayan Forward 25-04-69 175 69 Mohun Bagan Athletic Club - Calcutta
11 Jo Paul Ancheri Defender/Forward 02-08-75 178 76 Mohun Bagan Athletic Club - Calcutta
12 Syed Shabir Pasha Forward 05-11-72 173 69 Indian Bank - Chennai
13 Prasanta Dora Goalkeeper 04-01-76 175 60 Calcutta Port Trust - Calcutta
14 Carlton Chapman Midfielder 13-04-71 165 64 East Bengal Club - Calcutta
15 Baichung Bhutia Forward 15-12-76 170 60 East Bengal Club - Calcutta
17 Deepak Mondal Defender __-__-__ 1__ __ JCT Mills - Phagwara
18 Basudeb Mondal Midfielder __-__-__ 1__ __ East Bengal Club - Calcutta
19 Prabhjot Singh Defender 08-03-80 173 65 FC Kochin - Kochi
20 Kalyan Chaubey Goalkeeper __-__-__ 173 70 East Bengal Club - Calcutta
Ranjan Dey Midfielder 10-06-74 173 60 East Bengal Club - Calcutta
Ram Pal Midfielder 20-11-73 168 65 JCT Mills - Phagwara
Hardip Gill Forward __-__-__ 1__ __ JCT Mills - Phagwara
Sukhwinder Singh Coach
Krishnaji Rao Assistant Coach
Brahmanand Shankwalker Goalkeeper Coach
Henry Britto Manager

GROUP A
TEAM P W D L GF:GA PTS
1. Bangladesh 2 1 1 0 4:0 4
2. India 2 1 1 0 2:0 4
3. Pakistan 2 0 0 2 0:6 0
Bangladesh & India qualify for the semifinals.
22-Apr-99 Margao India  vs  Bangladesh
0:0
24-Apr-99 Margao Pakistan  vs  Bangladesh
0:4
26-Apr-98 Margao India  vs  Pakistan
2:0
April 22 - Group A: India 0-0 Bangladesh - goal: none.
Without a guiding force in the midfield, India resembled a yacht without sails. Moving anywhere but ahead, they were forced to split points by a determined Bangladesh in the opening match of the SAFF-Coca Cola Cup at the Nehru Stadium. Stalling the Indian moves before they could assume dangerous proportions, the Bangladeshis were in control for most part of the Group A match, and the goalless draw was a deserving result for the brave-hearted showing they came up with. India, looking clueless all along, came out wounded, while Bangladesh emerged with their confidence enhanced for future tussles. Pre-match fears that India might suffer due to want of a schemer proved right as they kicked the ball around without any plan or purpose, surrendering possession pretty too quickly to the Bangladeshis. The Indian midfield foursome of skipper Bruno Coutinho, Carlton Chapman, Jules Alberto and Venkatesh hardly had any say over the proceedings. Basudev Mondal was brought in late in the second half for Carlton but even he could achieve little. Bangladesh would have started the game as underdogs but as the game progressed, the role seemed better suited to the Indians. The visitors, quick to snatch the ball from the slow-moving Indians, had their eye on a draw but they were open to attacks whenever chances presented themselves. And they had players of calibre to take advantage of the loose balls, with Mohammed Alfaz and Manwar Hossain doing most of the work. But the first Bangladesh priority was defence and they had the right man for the job in captain Jewel Rana. Rana, the eventual man ofthe match, ruled the penalty area with an iron will to match his sturdy skills. With team effort a far cry in the Indian ranks, they had to look to individual bursts from IM Vijayan and Baichung Bhutia to try and end the deadlock. But Rana hardly gave room to the Indian forwards and twice, it was his goalline saves that prevented Bangladesh from going down after goalkeeper Mohammed Aminul Haq was beaten. Rana hooked the ball out on the dot of halftime when Bhutia headed down a Vijayan cross and booted goalward right between the hands of the goalkeeper. Again, seven minutes from the final whistle, Haq was tricked by a Vijayan free-kick. Rana proved alert and alive to the danger that time too, saving Bangladesh in the nick of the moment. Vijayan's diagonal across the goalmouth for Bhutia was one of the few bright moments for India on the day but with the Sikkimese striker being a trifle late, the opportunity went rolling wide. Otherwise, it was predictable fare from the Indian ranks. It was poor thinking on the part of the Indians to fire in crosses or lobs into the penalty area meant for Vijayan or Bhutia when the Bangladeshis had proved far superior in the air. Time and again, the Bangladesh defenders, Rana and Rajani Kanta Barman, outwitted the Indians, like they had in the midfield. The Indians hardly had time to think before the Bangladeshis were on the ball. Manwar Hussain and Alfaz Ahmed kept the Indian defenders busy. But for some hurried shots, they could have walked into the scorebook as well. Still, they managed to trouble Indian goalkeeper Virender Singh but the JCT custodian proved up to the task on the day. Mustafa Anwar Parvez's curling shot in was tipped over by Virender in the 56' and in the 81', he rose high to keep off a header from substitute Rakib Hussain. With a win looking out of the realms of reality, coach Sukhwinder Singh brought in Joe Paul Ancheri in place of Bruno Coutinho. With just 12 minutes remaining, it was a gamble but Ancheri nearly delivered the goods, blasting in a 35-yard left-footed free-kick that had the right power and direction. Aminul Haq, however, brought the soaring Indian hopes down with a brilliant diving save.
India: Virender Singh, Reazul Mustafa, Ranjan Dey, Robert Fernandes, Daljit Singh, S Venkatesh, Jules Alberto, Bruno Coutinho (Jo Paul Ancheri), IM Vijayan, Carlton Chapman (Basudev Mondal), Baichung Bhutia.
April 26 - Group A: India 2-0 Pakistan - goals: 1-0 Baichung Bhutia (23'), 2:0 Syed Shabir Pasha (87').
Defending champion India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 2-0, by scoring a goal in each half, to enter the semifinals of the SAFF Cup being played at Nehru stadium Fatorda. India started off well dominating the first half but failed to keep the same tempo. They drew the first blood in the 23´ through striker Baichung Bhutia, who headed home off a fine cross from Bruno Coutinho from the right. The lead was consolidated in the 87' through substitute Shabir Pasha whose feeble shot from close range eluded the keeper and a defender to find the net. Pakistan, who were in the defensive for the entire 1st half, put up a semblance of fight in the 2nd half and came near to scoring but were denied the oppurtunity by the Indian keeper Virender Singh. With this win, India and Bangladesh collected 4 pts each. Bangladesh with superior goal difference topped the table. Pakistan, who lost both the matches, are out of contention. India will play their first match with the winner of group B on April 29 while Bangladesh will take on the runners-up of the group B. Pakistan keeper Muhammed Younis played an outstanding game under the bar to walk away with the man of the match award. India, who had to win by a margin of 5-0 to top the table, started well playing an attacking game. The moves were well organised and were thrustful. Striker Baichung Bhutia and Vijayan, who played in tandem with good support from Jules, Venkatesh and Bruno, kept the attack moving with a steady flow of passes. They were denied an early goal by Pakistan keeper Younis who showed fine reflexes in anticipation to deny Bhutia from scoring. India could have led by three goals if not for the Pakistan keeper, who was a bundle of nerves in the first match, showing fine reflexes. India sounded the first warning in the 13th minute when Bhutia, who looked dangerous whenever he had the ball in the rival box, let go a fierce left-footer that hit the frame work and went out of a forward pass from Jules. Five minutes later, a combined move between Vijayan and Bruno on right saw the latter send a low cross to Bhutia whose diving header was put off for a corner by keeper Younis. India kept on the pressure and found the net in the 23'. Bruno Coutinho sent a fine cross into the box for Bhutia, who made no mistake in finding the net with a firm header. Coach Sukhwinder Singh's plan in bringing Carlton Chapman in place of Coutinho backfired as he failed to keep the attack moving. India brought in substitute Sabir Pasha in place of IM Vijayan in the last ten minutes. In the 87', Bhutia gave a back-pass to Sabir Pasha. Pasha's feeble shot eluded a defender and the keeper and found the net. Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh pointed to his teams not utilising the chances to the failure of his team topping the group. "We wanted to put three fresh man as we wanted more goals" said about the three changes he made in the second session. About his semifinal opponent, Singh said he had no choice, about facing Nepal or Maldives. On why he persisted with shaky Reazul Mustafa in the defence, Singh added that he had no choice as he has to make a number of changes early on which he did not miss to take.
India: Virender Singh, Reazul Mustafa, Ranjan Dey, Robert Fernandes, Deepak Mondal, Daljit Singh, S Venkatesh, Jules Alberto (Basudeb Mondal), Bruno Coutinho (Carlton Chapman), IM Vijayan (Shabir Pasha), Baichung Bhutia.
April 29 - Semifinal: India 2-1 Maldives - goals: 1:0 Baichung Bhutia (30'), 1:1 Mohamed Wildhan (43'), 2:1 Bruno Coutinho (84').
Baichung Bhutia and Bruno Coutinho turned on the magic with two brilliant strikes to power India to a 2-1 victory over the Maldives and enter the final of the Saff Cup for yet another occasion. India will meet Bangladesh in the final. At Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, the hosts dominated the slow-paced semifinal in long patches and should have won by a comfortable margin against the below-par rivals whom they had last beaten 5-1 in the 1997 edition's final had they been more accurate in shooting. Bhutia confirmed India's dominance with a stunning left-footed strike in the 30'. The visitors equalised two minutes before half time through a counter-attack, Mohamed Wildhan beating Virender Singh all ends up with a fine shot from the top of the box. A tiring Coutinho then drilled in the match-winner all along the ground in the 84', leaving goalkeeper Ishag Essa helpless. The Indian goal machine rumbled in fits and starts, providing moments of ecstacy and despair as the players gave away the ball several times and invited unnecessary pressure on themselves. Once the perennially nervous Reazul Mustafa was replaced by the more enthusiastic Prabhjot Singh, India settled down in defence and Deepak Mondal had a particularly fine game shutting out the Maldives strikers, Shah Ismail and Wildhan, completely. The Maldives were knocked out by the searing afternoon heat and struggled to find their rhythm. Their counter-attacks lacked speed, allowing the Indian defenders to grow in confidence as the match progressed. The Maldives coach, Solokho, however, strongly criticised the Malayasian referee, S Selearajan, for his decisions which invariably favoured the home team. Some Maldives pressure in the 2nd half - Virender once being extended to keep out an Ali Shiham try - took the sheen off the Indian superiority but Shabir Pasha's inclusion helped India seize the initiative once again. A short run on the left and a dribble past a defender on the goalline prised open the Maldives defence, and his precise back pass to Coutinho, surprisingly voted Most Valuable Player, saw the tiring local star unleash a grounder from just inside the danger zone, which went past a host of legs into the far corner of the net. The AIFF President, DasMunshi, has announced that each member of the Indian team will be awarded Rs 50,000 if they manage to retain the trophy.
India: Virender Singh, Reazul Mustafa (Prabhjot Singh), Ranjan Dey, Robert Fernandes, Daljit Singh, S Venkatesh (Syed Sabir Pasha), Jules Alberto (Carlton Chapman), Bruno Coutinho, IM Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia, Deepak Mondal.

May 1- Final: India 2-0 Bangladesh - goals: 1:0 Bruno Coutinho (26'), 2:0 Baichung Bhutia (44').
The brilliance of Baichung Bhutia, the man-of-the-match and the championship, laid low Bangladesh's dreams and aspirations. The 2-0 verdict helped India retain its South Asian Football Federation title, annex the SAFF Cup, the $50,000 prize money and what more keep its premier status in South Asia intact. The biggest gathering, since the championship got underway ten days ago, was treated to a feast by the home team. True India's superiority was always known but the dip in performance in the last few days triggered fresh arguments. All that was settled in style by that ripper of a player from Sikkim, Bhutia. He proved he was a class above every one else with his footwork, body feint and unbelievable reflexes, despite some heavy and at times cruel marking. When it comes to delivering the knock-out punch, the country has often looked to Bhutia or IM Vijayan. For a change Vijayan was off colour (he did not score even one goal in the championship) and even contemplated quitting International football only to be dissuaded by his peers. Bhutia handled the burden and could there have been a better exhibition from him! It was his sensational effort that helped skipper Bruno Coutinho to put India ahead (26´). Beating four or five defenders screening him, he switched the ball backwards for the curly haired Goan to light up the galleries, with the goalkeeper Mohamed Aminul Haq being offposition. The goal was a culmination of a phase of relentless attack by the Indians. If containment was Bangladesh's strategy when the two teams met in the league earlier, it was India's game plan today but with the significant difference that there was Bhutia ahead to tear apart the rival end. For India the midfield functioned. Bruno, Venkatesh and Jules Alberto inspired Bhutia and had it not been for the alacrity of Bangladesh goalie Mohamed Aminul Haq the visitor's resistance would have ended much earlier. But the tendency to relax after the lead goal invited danger. The Indian defence had looked tight with Prabhjot Singh's inclusion proving salutary, but the needless backpedalling made even coach Sukhwinder to jump out of his seat in anger. Bangladesh's key striker Alfaz once squeezed a goalmouth cross for a chance which went abegging. But Bhutia put all worry behind a minute before half-time (44') after Prabhjot's cross and Vijayan´s brute of a header failed to beat Aminul Haq's block. Bhutia was there to finish the rebound. Bangladesh's coach Samir Shakir brought in two experienced players Manwar Hussain and Mustafa Anwar with the intention of steadying the midfield and give substance to its attack. India brought in Sabir Pasha for Jules and he came into focus instantly with his long diagonal that almost gave Vijayan his first goal, the strike once again eluding the cage. Pasha and Bhutia then struck terror. Even as this tempo was on, Indian goalkeeper Virender set on a suicidal move, charging out premeditated for a high collection, missing and leaving an open goalmouth for Matur Rehman to exploit. Vijayan's timely deflection saved the blushes but triggered a cry of penalty by the Bangladeshis. Bangladesh did get a penalty later when Prabhjot handled a Mizanur Rahman header, but the Bangladesh skipper Jewel Rana struck the upright in trying a steep angled conversion and that was the closest the visitor could go. Only another brilliant save by Aminul Haq minutes before full time denied Bhutia and India another goal.
India: Virender Singh, Deepak Mondal, Robert Fernandes, Prabhjot Singh, Daljit Singh, Jules Alberto (Syed Shabir Pasha), Ranjan Dey, Shanmugam Venkatesh (Carlton Chapman), Bruno Coutinho (Jo-Paul Ancheri), IM Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia.

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