Chhetri scores hat-trick as India beat Pakistan 4-0 in SAFF C'ship

Sunil Chhetri's glittering hat-trick laced India's 4-0 win over Pakistan in their SAFF Championship opener in Bengaluru on Wednesday as the talisman became the second-highest Asian goal-scorer in international football. Ali Daei of Iran holds the record with 109 goals from 149 matches. Chhetri has 90 goals to his name.

From the beginning of the match itself, India brought forth their experience and class into play. Pakistan had pockets of doughty resistance, but they were not a match to India's cohesion and purpose on a rain-drenched night at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

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

Chhetri had shown sparks of his old ebullient self in the Intercontinental Cup final against Lebanon at Odisha on Sunday, and the Indian skipper stepped on the pedal on his 'home turf'. After getting a quick feel of the surface and their opponents, India started the goal rush as early as the 10th minute through Chhetri, who netted through a fine field goal.

Six minutes later, the talismanic forward doubled the lead through a penalty and at 2-0, the route which the match took was clear. India pressed for more goals in the first half, but they could not add to the tally as Pakistan's defense held their own. India too missed a couple of chances, though not easy, to pile pressure on their rivals.

However, the first half ended on a rather disappointing note for India despite a handy 2-0 lead. An unnecessary attempt to impede a Pakistan player from taking the throw-in coach Igor Stimac resulted in him being slapped with a red card, and he had to leave the dugout for the night.

But that did not snap India's momentum in the second half. The hosts pressed forward like a giant wave in search of more goals. The big moment came in the 74th minute when India made it 3-0. Pakistan defenders brought down Chhetri inside the box and referee Prajwal Chhetri allowed a penalty kick for India, and the Indian skipper converted it to complete his hat-trick, also putting the match beyond the grasp of Pakistan.