New Delhi: Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri donned the jersey in a surprise return. Despite spending many months away from competition, he showed no signs of losing his natural fitness or speed, as he recently announced he was reversing his retirement and returning to the sport. During the encounter, Chhetri netted a goal to guide the Indian side to an emphatic victory over Maldives. India’s next opponent is Bangladesh.
Sunil Chhetri, who had retired last June, came back only after the Indian team underperformed and struggled for a goal scorer. Chhetri looked lively when he played against Maldives in a friendly match. Both teams were involved in a hard-fought contest early on with India taking time to get their first goal on target. It was only after more than half an hour that India broke the deadlock through Rahul Bheke in the 34th minute.
Indian football team continued their sublime run, hammering Maldives 3-0. Despite a few early chances, the Bills would not manage to find paydirt. In the next minute, in the 66th minute, India got a corner and scored from it bringing her team to 2-0 ahead.
The focus on Sunil Chhetri had shifted to whether or not he could make his comeback count, as the match wore on. He showcased that ability when he turned a chance into a goal in the last few minutes. With this India completed a 3–0 win and Maldives 0–3 also.
India’s next match will be against Bangladesh on March 25. As usual, all eyes will be on Indian superstar Sunil Chhetri.