Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri led from the front as he scored a brilliant hat-trick to help his team register an emphatic 4-0 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the SAFF Championship. The game was played at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, and it marked India’s first win of the tournament.
Chhetri opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the game when he took advantage of a goalkeeping error from Pakistan’s goalie. He then added another five minutes later, converting a penalty with consummate ease to double India’s lead.
In the second half, Chhetri completed his hat-trick by scoring yet another penalty. He blasted the ball past the diving goalkeeper to take his tally to 90 goals in Indian colours.
India dominated the game from start to finish, and Udanta Singh added the fourth goal late on to cap off a comprehensive victory. The win also saw India keep a clean sheet, which pleased Chhetri.
Speaking after the match, the 38-year-old said, We are really happy I think majorly because you will keep a clean sheet and also very happy people turned up. This is amazing. I mean, this is what you play for. So really happy.
India’s next game in the SAFF tournament is against Nepal on June 24th before facing off against Kuwait on June 27th.
