‘ Youngsters should learn from Chhetri’
Bengaluru, March 12: FC Pune City head coach Ranko Popovic called Sunil Chhetri “the best ever Indian player” while his Bengaluru FC counterpart, Albert Roca, was at a loss of words to define him.
Bengaluru FC on Sunday rode Chhetri’s hat- trick to make it to the final of the Hero Indian Super League 2017- 18 season. The India skipper’s triple strike handed Bengaluru FC a facile 3- 1 win in a tense second- leg semifinal at the Kanteerava Stadium.
Jonatan Lucca’s freekick goal gave Pune some hope of a fightback at 1- 2 but Chhetri was too good on the day and sealed the deal with a minute to go for the final whistle.
“I think Sunil Chhetri is the best ever Indian player till now, and these kind of players know how to play these kind of games. He scored a hattrick, and he was the hero today. The young players should learn from this,” said Popovic, lauding Chhetri’s standout performance on the pitch.
Praising Chhetri’s efforts in a difficult game Roca said: “What can I say about him? He’s an outstanding player. There are no words to define him. This was such an important game, and he proved that he is always there when required. He is a wonderful player.”
After their goalless draw in Pune and the away goal dagger hanging over their head, Roca realised the importance of the game and added: “Today was a difficult game. So, it was not about Chhetri alone, he was undoubtedly brilliant, but the entire squad stood up to the challenge, it was a huge team effort.”