Afghans shock India to win first international football trophy 
Afghanistan has won its first international football trophy, beating India 2-0 in the South Asian Football Federation Championship final.Afghanistan was already one goal up before half-time, with Sanjar Ahmadi doubling the lead in the second half.
The fiercely competitive match was watched by an estimated 5,000 fans at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.
Afghanistan has only recently re-emerged on the world football scene after decades of war and insurgency. There were scenes of celebration and joy on the streets of Kabul, where people crammed into restaurants and cafes to watch the final.
The Afghan team suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss to India when the two sides met in the 2011 final in Delhi.
India, ranked 145th in the world compared to Afghanistan's 139th, has won the event six times. Celebratory dance
The defending champions missed several good opportunities, says BBC Nepali's Surendra Phuyal in Kathmandu.
They did their best to dominate and equalise, but the Afghan defence and its goalkeeper proved too smart for the Indian forwards, our correspondent says.
After the match ended, the Afghan players danced on the pitch in celebration with the Afghan flag draped on their shoulders.
"You can't imagine how big this moment is for our country, our fans, our team and me," Afghan coach Yousef Kargar said.
"We have proved that we belong in the world of football. Our team has improved a lot over the last few years and I am sure we will get better in the years to come." Celebratory gunfire rang out around the Afghan capital.
Although not banned, football was severely restricted in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001.
Football stadiums were often used by the Islamist movement to stage public executions and forced amputations.
Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives and hosts Nepal were the other teams to take part in the tournament, which is held every two years
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24053018 阿富汗國家足球隊於1933年成立，並且於1948年及
1954年先後加入
國際足協及
亞洲足協。國家隊以位於首都
喀布爾的
加濟體育館(Ghazi Stadium)為主場場地。
不過阿富汗國內多年來處於非常貧窮的環境，交通並不發達，加上自七十年代國內政局不穩定而被迫拒絕組隊參加國際賽。
伊斯蘭運動組織
塔利班於
1996年至
2001年統治阿富汗期間，實施獨裁專制和政教合一政策，也否定包括足球在內的國際性體育運動，加濟體育館更變為槍斃犯人的刑場，
最終塔利班在美國的軍事打擊下於2001年垮臺。國家隊於2003年重新組隊參賽，並首次參加
2004年亞洲盃外圍賽，以及
2006年世界杯外圍賽。
由於阿富汗足球隊以前從未參加過任何大型國際賽，而且因國內政治及經濟環境仍不利足球運動發展，
故實力仍與其他國家有相當大的距離，每次國際賽也是大敗而回。
[ 此帖被羅力亞在2013-09-12 19:09重新編輯 ]
