India cruised into the semi-final with a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka but missed several chances and could have won by a bigger margin, at the SAFF cup football tournament in New Delhi. The defending champions, however, cannot afford similar mistakes against the Maldives. The hosts though not very convincing, did put up a brilliant team effort to win the match, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Wednesday.
In a match when India should have convincingly dominated the show, the Indian fans had to wait till the second half to see the victory. After drubbing Bhutan 5-0, India 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.
Five-time champion India finished second in the group and will face 2008 champions Maldives in Friday's semi-final.
Meanwhile at the other semis deciding match Afghanistan had the weakest opponent to deal with — Bhutan — it won 8-1, playing with infectious energy. India, which had to contend with Sri Lanka, managed a 3-0 verdict. The result was enough for the host to join Afghanistan as the second team from the group. In the semifinals on Friday Afghanistan takes on Nepal.
