The Indian men’s senior national team pulled off a thrilling win over Oman to clinch third place at the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 on Monday.

The Blue Tigers, trailing in the second half, roared back with Udanta Singh’s 80th-minute header to force extra time. With the game locked after 120 minutes, it all came down to penalties, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stood tall in the shootout to seal a 3-2 win on penalties and a historic podium finish on debut at the tournament.

Khalid Jamil’s side had already beaten hosts Tajikistan 2-1 in their opener, produced a spirited performance against IR Iran, and played out a goalless draw with Afghanistan. The 1-1 result against 79th-ranked Oman, capped off by the penalty shootout triumph, earned huge plaudits for Jamil in his very first assignment, which will be a perfect boost ahead of October’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.

As India celebrated a famous victory, messages poured in from fans, while the players themselves shared their emotions after the game. Here are some of the best reactions:

🏆Massive congratulations to Coach Khalid Jamil on leading the Blue Tigers to their first-ever Bronze Medal in the CAFA Nations Cup! We're beyond proud! 😍🎉

[Jam Ke Khelo, Indian Football, Khalid Jamil, Indian National Football Team, Jamshedpur, Blue Tigers, CAFA Nations Cup] pic.twitter.com/WWgTG7cmmd

— Jamshedpur FC (@JamshedpurFC) September 8, 2025

Heartiest congratulations to the #BlueTigers on claiming bronze 🥉 in their maiden #CAFANationsCup appearance, after a thrilling penalty shootout victory 🆚 a higher-ranked Oman 🇴🇲 side in the third place playoff! 🇮🇳👏#IndianFootball #INDOMA pic.twitter.com/SD3u6lV6Nz

— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) September 8, 2025

𝑵𝑬𝑾 𝑬𝑹𝑨 𝑯𝑨𝑺 𝑱𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑼𝑵! 🇮🇳🥉

Congrats to #BlueTigers on defeating 79th ranked Oman on penalties and finishing 3️⃣rd at the #CAFANationsCup2025. #INDOMA #TheShers #PunjabFC pic.twitter.com/31os3tgwp0

— Punjab FC (@RGPunjabFC) September 8, 2025

An unforgettable night for Indian Football 🇮🇳✨

The #BlueTigers finish third in the #CAFANationsCup2025 with a dramatic win on penalties against Oman 🐯🥉

Proud moment for the Blasters as Danish provided a decisive 80th-minute assist to draw us level 💛

📸: CAFA Association… pic.twitter.com/EpVMUYXdHm

— Kerala Blasters FC (@KeralaBlasters) September 8, 2025

FULL-TIME! India 1-1 Oman! India triumphs 3-2 on penalties!
Blue Tigers clinch the bronze medal at the CAFA Nations Cup! 🥉🇮🇳🔵🏆
We're super proud of you, lads! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻#StrongerAsOne #8States1United #india pic.twitter.com/sfFBO6Xjqg

— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) September 8, 2025

The #BlueTigers stood tall 💙

India wins Bronze in #CAFANationsCup with a 3rd place finish🐯#IndianFootball #CAFANationsCup2025 pic.twitter.com/eXiOxfNSaP

— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) September 8, 2025

India clinch bronze! 🥉#BlueTigers beat Oman in a thrilling penalty shootout at the #CAFANationsCup2025.#INDOMA #IndianFootball https://t.co/aJrTQ4gdj8

— Chennaiyin F.C. (@ChennaiyinFC) September 8, 2025

First ever CAFA Nations Cup… 🇮🇳⚽️
What a journey it has been! To finish 3rd place in our debut tournament is something we can all be proud of. 🥉💪🏽

Massive respect to each and every brother in the team for the hard work, sacrifices, and fight shown on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/q1qPDsXC43

— Rahul Bheke (@RahulBheke) September 8, 2025

तेरे में क्या हुनर है, ये बताना जरूरी है !
अगर तू जिंदा है, तो जिंदा नजर आना जरूरी है ! 🇮🇳 ⚽️

— Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (@GurpreetGK) September 8, 2025

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@GurpreetGK - Well done big man. Congratulations to you and the entire @IndianFootball team for this historic result.. Hope this is truly the beginning of something special. Quite the start for Khalid Jamil !! #BlueTigers #CAFANationsCup2025 https://t.co/5ZpHLJHKUA

— Jatin Sapru (@jatinsapru) September 8, 2025

India bags the Bronze Medal 🥉 at the #CAFANationsCup2025 after a thrilling penalty shootout win over Oman.
Congratulations to the Blue Tigers on this remarkable victory.💙#IndianFootball #BlueTigers #Manjappada pic.twitter.com/qrbodrZYac

— Manjappada (@kbfc_manjappada) September 8, 2025

What a start to the Khalid era. Take a bow 🙏 https://t.co/FxqpnkZYLh

— West Block Blues (@WestBlockBlues) September 8, 2025