SAFF Championship 2023: Sunil Chhetri nets three

Sunil Chhetrirsquos glittering hattrick laced Indiarsquos 40 win over Pakistan in their SAFF Championship opener here on Wednesday as the talisman became the secondhighest Asian goalscorer in international footballAli Daei of Iran holds the record with 109 goals from 149 matches Chhetri has 90 goals to his nameFrom the beginning of the match itself India brought forth their experience and class into play Pakistan had pockets of doughty resistance but they were not a match to Indiarsquos cohesion and purpose on a raindrenched night at the Sree Kanteerava StadiumChhetri had shown sparks of his old ebullient self in the Intercontinental Cup final against Lebanon at Odisha on Sunday and the Indian skipper stepped on the pedal on his lsquohome turfrsquoAfter getting a quick feel of the surface and their opponents India started the goal rush as early as in the 10th minute through Chhetri who netted through a fine field goalSix minute later the talismanic forward doubled the lead through a penalty and at 20 the route which the match took was clearIndiarsquos missed chancesIndia pressed for more goals in the first half but they could not add to the tally as Pakistan defence held their own India too missed a couple of chances though not easy to pile pressure on their rivalsHowever the firsthalf ended in a rather disappointing note for India despite a handy 20 lead An unnecessary attempt to impede a Pakistan player from taking the throwin by coach Igor Stimac resulted in him slapped with a red card and he had to leave the dug out for the nightBut that did not snap Indiarsquos momentum in the second half The hosts pressed forward like a giant wave in search of more goals The big moment came in the 74th minute when India made it 30Pakistan defenders brought down Chhetri inside the box and referee Prajwal Chhetri allowed a penalty kick for India and the Indian skipper converted it to complete his hattrick also putting the match beyond the grasp of PakistanUdanta makes it fourFrom that point it was a case of Indiarsquos victory margin and Udanta Singh passed more agony on the visitors with a goal in the 81st minuteFed by a through pass by Sandesh Jhingan Udanta made a good speedy run down the pitch to slot the ball past Pakistan goalkeeperldquoHappy to keep clean sheet happy to start tournament Matches in these kinds of conditions are never easyHappy people turned up this is amazing this is what we play forrdquo Chhetri said after the matchIt was a sumptuous performance by India that thrilled the 22860strong crowd that thronged the stadium despite a heavy downpour India will next face minnows Nepal in their second Group A match on SaturdayAlso Read Chhetri maintains 3rd spot in elite list alongside RonaldoMessi with goal vs LebanonThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever