When his team is down, Sunil Chhetri is at his pugnacious best. The India skipper is not one to quit the race, preferring instead to drag
his mates past the finish line.
Under fire from a dominant Kyrgyz Republic, Chhetri found a way to extinguish the threat.
The 32-year-old — who plays with the boundless energy of an excited teenager — found the net in exemplary fashion to take India to a 1-0 victory. The three points gained, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Tuesday, took the home team to the top of Group ‘A’ in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup (third round) qualifying tournament.
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This is one of the best performances of Indian team, says Chhetri
After a goalless first-half, the visiting team came out all guns blazing. Chance after chance went awry, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Indian defence would be breached.
Chhetri, however, would have none of it. The star striker got the ball rolling by dispossessing his rival outside the Indian penalty area. He charged forward, and left two markers in his wake. Having made his way to the centre of the pitch, he passed the ball to Jeje Lalpekhlua.
Chhetri continued his run while Lalpekhlua dragged his marker wide. A fine chip found Chhetri, who placed a stellar first-time shot — on the bounce — past the Kyrgyz Republic custodian.
The 69th-minute goal turned out to be a memorable match-winning play.
Kyrgyz Republic continued to attack, and very nearly found the equaliser in the dying seconds. A desperate shot from Lux Vitalij in injury-time had to be tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh, and seconds later, the referee blew the final whistle.
The match witnessed hectic action right from the kick-off, with both teams creating plenty of chances. The two sides pressed forward with reckless abandon, which made for a wonderfully action-packed game.
Kyrgyz Republic perhaps came closest to breaking the deadlock first, when in the 61st minute, Vitalij’s shot was cleared off the line by Anas Edathodika and Sandesh Jhingan. The two centre-backs came under constant threat in this encounter, and showed grit and courage to help their team keep a clean sheet.
An emotional Chhetri said, “I’ve played international football for 12 years. This was one of the best performances I have seen from an Indian team. At the half-time break, we got battered by the coach, who was very angry. We took it all in, and we showed real character to come back and win the match. This is an unbelievable feeling.”
India - the unit has now recorded eight wins on the trot - next faces Macau in September.
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