 "SAFF Championship: In a contest full of drama, Sunil Chhetri and Indian defence make a mark")
India playing Pakistan for the first time in five years deserved fireworks and while the Blue Tigers roared on the pitch, everything around it also pitched in to make the contest a spectacle. The list of the wonderful, absurd, and in-between is long for a night on which Sunil Chhetri scored his fourth international hat-trick as India routed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 . At the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, there was rain, thunderous support for the home team, pitch invasions by fans, a red card for India coach Igor Stimac and some drab football from Pakistan.
IND vs PAK sees RED in the first half 🤯
— FanCode (@FanCode) June 21, 2023
India vs Pakistan is never fully complete without the fireworks and heated emotions 💥#INDvPAKonFanCode #SAFFChampionship2023 pic.twitter.com/xJLZTmcrp5
Stimac had warned about the deceiving FIFA rankings before the campaign opener but the gulf in class between 101st-ranked India and Pakistan who are 195 was quite apparent. This was compounded by the fact that the majority of Pakistan players reached Bengaluru only a few hours before the kickoff as a result of the visa mess that began with late applications leading to late arrival for the South Asian Football Federation Championship. Lethal Chhetri The fact that the game was played at Bengaluru FC captain Chhetri’s home stadium made it a punishment for the tired Pakistani bodies. 10 minutes into the game, the 38-year-old pressed an unsuspecting Saqib Hanif to force a mistake from the Pakistan goalkeeper resulting in a tap-in and the opening goal. Six minutes later, he added another from the spot after Easah Suliman was found guilty of handling an Anirudh Thapa shot in the penalty box.
Easy. 1-0.
— FanCode (@FanCode) June 21, 2023
Chhetri scoressssssssssssss!#INDvPAKonFanCode #SAFFChampionship2023 pic.twitter.com/U76DqLunaO
The “Chhettri, Chhetri” chants that were reverberating in The Kanteerava from the moment the talismanic striker entered the arena reached its crescendo with India’s second goal. Then came the third goal. Also from the spot, in the 74th minute, perfectly encapsulating why Chhetri, only two years away from 40, remains India’s best footballer. Through ball behind the line, Chhetri sprinted and left everyone in oblivion before a Muhammad Sufyan foul brought him down in the box. It was that kind of night for Pakistan. Chhetri was in that kind of form. Only fouls could keep India away from the ball. As Chhetri outfoxed Hanif again, he overtook Malaysian great Mokhtar Dahari for the fourth spot in the all-time goal-scoring charts. The Indian captain is now only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (123), Ali Daei (109) and Lionel Messi (103). Defence shines once again Chhetri scoring a hat-trick and India beating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 would surely take precedence over India keeping another clean sheet but let’s get the fact clear here. It was India’s seventh-straight clean sheet and the longest streak of all time for the Blue Tigers. It’s more crucial from the AFC Asian Cup 2023 perspective where India are set to face Asia’s best in Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria. It’s no secret that the only way India could stand a chance against Asian heavyweights is if they have an unbreachable defence. Stimac has made it clear for a long time that defensive solidity remains a priority for the side and the centre-back pairing of Sandesh Jhingan and Anwar Ali has been so far pretty convincing. Subhasish Bose and Pritam Kotal who came in as full-backs with Akash Mishra and Nikhil Poojary suffering minor niggles also put in a strong display while Amrinder Singh had little to do in the goal. The fact that Pakistan have as many as nine players born outside the country including the attacking midfielder Otis Khan who plays for fourth tier English side Grimsby Town and striker Hassan Bashir who plies his trade at fourth tied Danish club Tarnby FF only adds more shine to the defenders work on the night.
Bangalore, thank you for screaming at the top of your lungs 🏟️🔊 through the pouring rain 🌧️ for the entire 9️⃣0️⃣ minutes and some!#SAFFChampionship2023 🏆 #INDPAK #IndianFootball ⚽️ #BlueTigers 🐯 pic.twitter.com/kvmzSnx176
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 21, 2023
Another winner on the night was the fans at the Kanteerava. The 22,860-capacity crowd at the stadium cheered on the team throughout the 90 minutes and beyond. India will be back on the pitch on 24 June for the Nepal game and for those who witnessed the classic on Wednesday, the message for the team would be simple — we need more of the same. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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