Double delight: Chhetri’s brace earns title, record
INTERCONTINENTAL CUP India beat Kenya, captain equals Messi as 2nd highest scorer
MUMBAI: Skipper Sunil Chhetri led from the front once again, scoring a brace to fashion India’s 2-0 victory over Kenya in the final of the Intercontinental Cup at Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday.
Chhetri, who had scored in each of the three league games earlier, displayed similar intensity in the final and took his tally of goals in the tournament to eight, which is a personal record for him in a tournament.
His second goal, which was the 64th of his career, also saw him equal Argentina striker Lionel Messi’s tally and in the process made him the joint-second highest active international goalscorer behind Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
India were back to their full strength with all seven players, who were rested for the tie ing a counterattack. However, their efforts to make inroads into the Indian defence proved futile and only added to their desperation.
The African side was pegged back in the 36th minute, when defender Oginga was given a yellow card for his challenge on Chhetri.
After an electrifying first half, the second half turned out to be a drab affair with both sides unable to breach each other’s defence.
Though the visitors did create a couple of opportunities after the change of ends, they proved no match to the brilliance of Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who didn’t let anything go past his towering frame. It was a memorable tournament for the Indian goalkeeper as he didn’t concede even a single goal throughout the tournament.
India will now eye a good performance at next year’s AFC Asian Cup in the UAE.