An India and Pakistan clash is always a highly-awaited fixture in cricket and hockey, but football?
Wednesday's SAFF Championship was no different as after several barriers the two neighbouring rivals faced off at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru.
The match lived up to its level of expectation on the drama quotient as India Coach Igor Stimac's actions earned him a red card.
Stimac was handed a red card in the final minutes of the first half. India were leading 2-0.
Just prior to half-time the ball rolled outside the pitch and Pakistan defender Abdullah Iqbal was going to take the throw. But Stimac was seen walking up to him and knocking the ball out of his hand. This led to an altercation between players from both teams.
Referee Prajwal Chhetri and other officials attempted to end the ruckus. After the situation came under control, Stimac was handed a red card, which meant he couldn't be at the touchline for the second half.
Assistant Coach Mahesh Gawli took over the responsibility at the touchline for the rest of the match. A few more players were handed yellow cards as well.
The last time the two sides faced off was back in 2018 at the SAFF Championships. As always, the drama quotient of an India-Pakistan match lived up to its billing.
On Wednesday, India walked away with a comfortable 4-0 win, with veteran skipper Sunil Chhetri scoring a hat-trick!
