Sunil Chhetri’s goal in extra time helped India beat Afghanistan 2-1 and lift the SAFF Suzuki Cup on Sunday evening. At the Trivandrum International Stadium, the Mumbai City FC striker’s goal came after Chennaiyin FC forward Jeje Lalpekhlua had cancelled out the strike from Afghanistan’s Zubayr Amiri to keep it at 1-1 after 90 minutes.Both sides left no stone unturned in trying to become the first team to score in front of a charged-up crowd. However, even after several attempts from both camps, the first half yielded no goals.The second half proved to be a lot more entertaining. The Lions of Khorasan drew first blood and their moment came in the 70th minute. An inch-perfect pass found Amiri in the box and the Afghani attacker made no mistake driving the ball past Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.The disappointed Indian fans, however, didn’t have to wait much longer to see the equaliser. Two minutes later, a Chhetri-Jeje effort caught the Afghan defence on the snooze and the Chennaiyin FC forward deftly tapped in the equaliser, much to Afghanistan’s chagrin.Both halves were filled with some amazing performances coming in from the attacking squads of both teams. India had Sandhu plenty to thank as the Punjab-born goalkeeper kept the Afghans at bay at several crucial moments.The match almost yielded a result in the allotted time as Chhetri came very close to scoring through a free-kick towards the end of the second half. The India skipper, however, made up for that wasted opportunity later in the match.FC Pune City’s Bikash Jairu and NorthEast United FC’s Holicharan Narzary had turned up the heat on the opposition in extra time before Chhetri scored the winner for the Indians. Eleven minutes into extra time, Chhetri took advantage of some shoddy Afghan defending and put India ahead.Thereafter, the energized Blue Tigers successfully held off the opposition with Sandhu’s lunges and blocks playing a crucial role. As the referee blew the whistle, the Indian players and fans erupted in joy, revelling in India’s seventh title in the history of the tournament.