An inspiring football event took place in the presence of a 30,000 crowd, cheering and applauding Sunil Chetri and his team. The blue tigers showed their dominance against the much higher-ranked team in the Hero Tri-Nation friendly trophy.
Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chhetri's goals against the Kyrgyz Republic helped India clinch the Hero Tri-Nation trophy by 2-0. Indian centre-back Sandesh Jhingan's goal in the 34th minute helped India take the early lead in the match, and then Captain Sunil Chhetri's goal in the 84th minute ensured India's victory.
The first goal comes when India wins the free kick, but the kick was not from the shooting range. Midfielder Brandon Fernandes put the ball in front of the rival goalmouth, chipped it into the box, and Sandesh Jhingan was there to squeeze it inside.
Indian coach hints attacking mindset before the match
Indian coach Igor Stimac, on the eve of the match, shared his words to go all-attack, despite the draw being enough to keep the trophy home. This was certainly true as India never misses a chance to strike against the opponent's goal whenever they get any such opportunity. Sunil Chhetri's 84th-minute attack showed the Kyrgyz Republic defence crumble under pressure as Naorem Mahesh Singh was brought inside the penalty box by Davydov Nikolai.
This was India's fifth consecutive win on home turf. Earlier, India had defeated Myanmar by 1-0.
Sunil Chhetri scored the 85th goal
The 84th-minute goal from Sunil Chhetri is a matter of double delight for all the fans in the stadium. It was not only the second goal for India, but it was also Sunil Chhetri's 85th International goal. As soon as the Indian captain stepped up to strike the ball at the corner of the net, the crowd knew no boundaries and started shouting and cheering his name out of joy.
India Playing XI
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra (Mehtab Singh 79') Anwar Ali (Naorem Roshan Singh 79'), Pritam Kotal, Anirudh Thapa (Rohit Kumar 67'), Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam (Sahal Abdul Samad 67'), Brandon Fernandes (Naorem Mahesh Singh 57'), Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sunil Chhetri (C).
More From This Section
Who won awards in the Hero Tri-Nation friendly trophy?
Here are the names who won awards in Hero Tri-Nation friendly trophy:
Player of the Tournament: Lallianzuala Chhangte (IND)
Top Scorer (shared by five): Anirudh Thapa (IND), Aung Thu (MYA), Kairat Zhyrgalbek Uulu (KGZ), Sandesh Jhingan (IND), Sunil Chhetri (IND)
Best Goalkeeper (shared by two): Amrinder Singh (IND), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (IND)