New Delhi: India kept alive their hopes of defending the SAFF Cup football title after qualifying for the semifinals with a clinical 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in their last Group A match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.
India, riding high after drubbing Bhutan 5-0, had to wait till the 50th minute to take the lead through Jeje Lalapeklua, who shot off a rebound after his striking partner Sunil Chettri's attempt was parried away by Lanka goalkeeper Sujan Perera.
Chettri also added to the score-sheet with a stunning header off Clifford Miranda's perfect cross in the 69th minute and took his tally to four, one behind Afghanistan's Belala Arezou, the leading goal scorer in the tournament. Sri Lankan defender Bandara Warakagoda committed a blunder in the dying minutes of the game in his bid to clear a ball but slotted it in.
Five-time champion India finished second in the group and will face 2008 champions Maldives in Friday's semi-final. In the second semi-final, Nepal will take on Afghanistan, who emerged Group A toppers with their 8-1 thrashing of lowest ranked team Bhutan here Wednesday.
India took the field, needing a draw to qualify for the semi-finals. They played well in patches in the first-half but had their fair share of chances that went begging.
Wing-back Syed Rahim Nabi wasted a free-header of Sunil Chtettri's cross in the 39th minute and in the next moment Jeje chested a loose ball inside the box but his right-footer on the turn kissed the bar on its way out.
The highly-rated Jeje couldn't show his class in the first two matches. But against Sri Lanka, the 20-year-old played cleverly and combined well with Mohun Bagan striker Chettri to trouble the Sri Lankan defence.
Five minutes into the second half, Pune FC striker Jeje, who is fresh from trials with Scottish giants Rangers, put India ahead as he slotted in a rebound after Perera made an acrobatic save to punch away Chettri's shot.
Perera had a busy day under the bar making some excellent saves including a powerful long ranger from Chettri. In contrast, Karanjit Singh enjoyed an easy day as the Indian defence was hardly threatened.
India could have created more trouble for the Sri Lankan but Clifford Miranda, who struck twice against Bhutan, was inconsistent with his crosses. The only cross that the Dempo mid-fielder got right was headed in by Chettri as India doubled the lead.
Sri Lanka were expected to trouble India with their speed but perhaps the fatigue of playing three matches in five days caught up with them. Their lanky forwards Nipuna Bandara and Mohammed Zain failed to penetrate the Indian defence and hardly got any support from the mid-field.
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