Sunil Chhetri equals Messi’s goals tally, leads India to eighth SAFF Championship title
Sunil Chhetri, Suresh Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad scored in a 3-0 victory for India against Nepal in the final.
Captain Sunil Chhetri scored his 80th international goal to lead the Indian football team to the SAFF Championship 2021 title at the National Football Stadium in Male, the Maldives on Saturday. India beat Nepal 3-0 in the final.
En route, he also equalled Argentina ace Lionel Messi’s international goals tally to reoccupy the title of the joint-highest active scorer. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with 115.
Midfielders Suresh Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad were the other scorers in the win which brought India’s eighth SAFF Championship title - the most by any team in history.
Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac brought in Chinglensana Singh and Anirudh Thapa in place of the suspended Subhashish Bose and injured Brandon Fernandes for the final.
India started well with Mohammad Yasir and Anirudh Thapa drawing a double save from Nepal goalkeeper Kiran Limbu four minutes into the match.
India dictated the pace of the game and dominated possession in the first half but failed to score with the pouring rain making it difficult for the players.
Sunil Chhetri had a chance late in the first half but he put his volley wide.
Four minutes into the second half, though, the India captain sneaked into the box and met with a cross from Pritam Kotal to put India in the lead.
In the very next minute, Suresh Singh was on hand to divert home a cut-back from Mohammad Yasir, who was often India’s most threatening player.
The 2-0 lead gave India enough of a cushion to take their foot off the accelerator a bit against a Nepal side playing in their first-ever SAFF final. The Blue Tigers created a few more chances but both Sunil Chhetri and Anirudh Thapa could not add to the lead.
In the final minute of the match, substitute Sahal Abdul Samad, who had replaced striker Manvir Singh, won possession of the ball and danced his way through a few Nepal defenders before slotting home to seal India’s victory.
It was an emphatic performance from the Indian team and was their third-consecutive win in the 2021 SAFF Championship after opening their campaign with back-to-back draws.