Ho Chi Minh City, Aug 10: Substitute Abhishek Yadav scored the winner in the dying minutes as India rallied brilliantly to beat hosts Vietnam 3-2 in an exciting final and lift the LG Cup 2002 at the Thong Nhat stadium here today.
It’s after a gap of 31 years that the Indian football team has won in the final of a tournament. Last time the feat was accomplished by the C Rasa-led squad who emerged joint winners with South Vietnam in the eight-nation tournament in Pesta Sukan, Singapore in 1971. The victory in the six-nation tournament earned the team $16,000 (about Rs 7.5 lakh). Trailing by two goals till a few minutes before half-time, India staged a superb rally through captain and star striker Baichung Bhutia, who scored on either side of the break, to knot it at 2-2.

With the match heading into extra time, Abhishek scored to gave India its first major win in football in 28 years after the bronze medal win in the 1972 Asian Football Championship.

Bhutia won the man-of-the-match award and Rajat Ghosh Dastidar was declared the Most Valuable Goalkeeper of the tournament.

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Egged on by a packed crowd, Vietnam began in whirlwind fashion and their speedy forwards were soon all over the Indian defence.

Le Hyunch Duc put the home team ahead and soon India were looking down the barell conceding the second goal. Vietnam`s most promising player Phung Thanh made it 2-0 as nothing went right for the Indians. Bureau Report