Guwahati, Aug. 29 -- India secured a historic 2-1 victory over Tajikistan at the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 on Friday, with goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu delivering a standout performance, including a crucial penalty save that helped seal the win.

This marked India's first win over Tajikistan in 17 years and their first victory in any competition since March.

Despite the absence of veteran striker Sunil Chhetri, India started strong and held off sustained pressure from the hosts. Chhetri, who had briefly come out of retirement during the previous coach Manolo Marquez's tenure, did not feature in the squad.

Current head coach Khalid Jamil clarified that Chhetri was excluded because the CAFA Cup does not impact qualification for the 2027 A...