India and Afghanistan have a strong rivalry on the footballing field that dates back to more than 70 years. The Blue Tigers and the Lions of Khorasan are among the five nations to have won the SAFF Championship and have dominated the region in recent history.

However, the two teams are set to cross swords in the CAFA Nations Cup for the first time ever when they meet at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, Tajikistan in the final match of the group stage.

Preview: India seek second win in CAFA Nations Cup as they face Afghanistan

The two sides have enjoyed great battles over the years with India holding the upper hand with 13 wins in 22 encounters between the two teams.

As the two sides are set to lock horns for the 23rd time, here’s a look back at some of India’s famous wins over Afghanistan.

India 2-1 Afghanistan (11 June 2022, Kolkata): AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

India’s last win over Afghanistan came in 2022 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata in dramatic fashion. The two sides faced each other in a crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifying match.

The game remained deadlocked despite the two teams’ endeavours for most part of the game before Sunil Chhetri opened the scoring for India in the 86th minute. But just when it seemed that the Blue Tigers would walk away with crucial three points, Zubayr Amiri equalised for the visitors two minutes later.

With the match heading for a draw, India found a hero in Sahal Abdul Samad who drilled an effort past the goalkeeper in the first minute of stoppage time and gave India the victory that ultimately sealed their passage to the AFC Asian Cup in 2024.

India 2-1 Afghanistan (3 January 2016, Thiruvananthapuram): SAFF Championship final

On this day in 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣5️⃣, the #BlueTigers 🐯 came back from behind to beat Afghanistan 🇦🇫 2-1 in the final of SAFF championship.@chetrisunil11 and @jejefanai scored in the final to lift India's 🇮🇳 7th SAFF championship 🏆 👏🏻#IndianFootball ⚽ #BackTheBlue 💙 pic.twitter.com/T8uKyqvW6n

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) January 3, 2021

A troubled India under Stephen Constantine were struggling for form when they made it to the final of the 2015 SAFF Championship in Thiruvananthapuram. An upbeat Afghanistan who had won the previous edition of the competition beating India in the final were gunning for a repeat.

Afghanistan seemed to be following their script when they took the lead in a tight game through Zubayr Amiri in the 70th minute. But falling a goal behind woke India up who equalised just two minutes later through Jeje Lalpekhlua.

The game was forced into extra-time where captain fantastic Chhetri stepped up to score in the 101st minute and help India regain the SAFF Championship title. The win proved to be a catalyst as India had an excellent AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign after that to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup after eight years.

India 4-0 Afghanistan (11 December 2011, New Delhi), SAFF Championship final

India and Afghanistan faced off in the final of the SAFF Championship in 2011. Afghanistan were growing as one of Blue Tigers’ strongest opponents in South Asia and had held the defending champions in the group stage encounter.

When the two teams faced each other again in the final of the competition, the onus was on India to make their superiority count especially on home turf. The Afghans once again proved to be a hard nut to crack with the game remaining goalless beyond the hour mark.

But the Blue Tigers won a penalty which was cooly dispatched in the 70th minute by Chhetri and the floodgates opened for India. Clifford Miranda doubled India’s lead in the 79th minute before Jeje Lalpekhlua sealed Afghanistan’s fate with a third goal a minute later. India added further gloss to the result with a fourth goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time through Sushil Kumar to defend their crown.

India 1-0 Afghanistan (30 July 2008, Hyderabad), AFC Challenge Cup group stage

The Blue Tigers had a golden chance to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup through the AFC Challenge Cup route as they hosted the tournament in Hyderabad in 2008.

Afghanistan were their opponents in their first group match of the competition and managed to hold the hosts at bay for most of the evening. With the match heading for a draw, Climax Lawrence popped up with the winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time to give India a winning start to the competition.

The victory was vital for India to gain confidence as they went on to win the cup and qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 27 years.

India 3-0 Afghanistan (7 March 1951, New Delhi), Asian Games semi-final

The very first competitive meeting between the two teams dates back to 1951. India were hosting the Asian Games in New Delhi and its football team was on the cusp of a golden era. Led by Syed Abdul Rahim, the Blue Tigers got off to a fine start to the tournament beating Indonesia 3-0 in the quarter-finals.

Up against Afghanistan in the semi-finals, the Blue Tigers stamped their authority from the word go as they raced to a 2-0 lead inside 16 minutes thanks to goals from Pansanttom Venkatesh and Sheoo Mewalal. Santosh Nandy then sealed the deal with a goal in the 55th minute as India reached the final.

Rahim’s men saw off the challenge of Iran in the final to claim their first gold medal in football at the Asian Games.

Related tags:

Jeje LalpekhluaSahal Abdul SamadClifford MirandaSunil Chhetri