Kolkata: One of India’s all-time football greats, Sunil Chhetri bid a tearful farewell from the game as the Salt Lake Stadium gave him a standing ovation after India drew 0-0 with Kuwait in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday evening.
As Chhetri took a lap of honour after the final whistle, the entire crowd stood on its feet, chanting his name.
Chhetri’s teammates also gave him a guard of honour at the end of the match as they bid goodbye to one of Indian football’s greatest soldiers.
In 151 international appearances, Chhetri scored 94 goals – the most by any Indian.
The 39-year-old is the fourth-highest goal scorer in men’s international football –behind legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ali Daei.
Chhetri played the entire game, looking for a goal which would have made it a fairytale finish and enhanced India’s chances of advancing to the next round of World Cup qualifiers. But that was not be, even as thousands of fans cheered for him, waved pictures, hung tifos and posters on the galleries.
Thank you, 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 @chetrisunil11 🫡#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/TtsKcwIIgF
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha) June 6, 2024
India, with a game against Qatar in hand, are in second place in Group A with 5 points from as many games.
They can still qualify for the third round if they beat toppers Qatar (13 points) in Doha on June 11, as two teams will go through.
But that will be tough task as Qatar is an Asian powerhouse. Also, India won’t have their talismanic striker Chhetri on the field anymore.
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