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India make home comfort count
MUMBAI: Sunil Chhetri proved that he continues to be the talisman of the national football team with an incredible performance that helped India thrashed higher-ranked
MUMBAI: Sunil Chhetri proved that he continues to be the talisman of the national football team with an incredible performance that helped India thrashed higher-ranked Puerto Rico 4-1 on Saturday.
Chhetri, the captain of the team who handed the armband over to goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu on the day, was involved in three of India’s four goals; all three being scored in the first half at the Andheri Sports Complex.
He increased his tally as India’s top scorer of all time by converting a free-kick in the 23rd minute, sandwiched between goals set up for Narayan Das in the 17th minute and Jeje Lalpekhlua in the 34th minute.
The Puerto Rican team, which arrived in Mumbai at 5pm on Friday and conducted their only training session three hours later, started the game on the front foot and took the lead in the seventh minute. Jackichand Singh conceded a penalty which was converted by Emmanuel Sanchez for the opener.
But after Das scored the equaliser, pouncing on a free-kick from Chhetri which came off the post, it was all one-way traffic from India.
Most of the Indian attack came from the left wing as the home team capitalised on the superior apace while the Puerto Ricans began to tire. Chhetri scored six minutes after Das by converting his second free-kick, once again striking the bar but this time crawling into the goal.
India kept up the pressure through the first half and occasionally switched play to attack from the right wing. One such chance saw Eugeneson Lyngdoh cross to Chhetri who headed into the path of Jeje to score with a nod.
The second half saw both teams ease off the pressure.
India wrapped up the match with a fourth goal as Jackichand tapped in a header across goal in the 58th minute.
Head coach Stephen Constantine praised India’s all-time top scorer Chhetri in the post-match press conference, calling him the “talisman of the Indian team”.
“A player of his calibre, you have to find a place for him. I think for me, his place is behind the striker. He brings other people into the game. He has an eye for goal, he sees good passes and he works,” Constantine said about experimenting with Chhetri’s position in other matches. “For me personally, he is best played behind the striker. Sometimes we may need him to play left or right. But for me now, his best position is behind the striker.”
RESULT: India 4 (Das 17; Chhetri 23; Jeje 34; Jackichand 58) Puerto Rico 1 (Sanchez 7-pen)
