Finance
In front of a crowd of around 30,000 people, the Indian team played inspiring football against higher-ranked Kyrgyzstan, snatching a 2-0 victory and claiming the Tri-national international tournament trophy with an all-win record and without conceding a goal.
With the tournament taking place between March 22 and 28, Croatian coach Igor Stimac and his charges made the most of the situation by winning both matches.
The Sunil Chhetri-led team began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Myanmar, and a rather emphatic 3-0 win over Kyrgyzstan put them in the enviable position of finishing the tournament with six points from two games.
The first goal against Kyrgyzstan came from an unexpected source: centre-back Sandesh Jhingan found the net in the 34th minute. Jhingan pounced like a panther on the ball as Brandon Fernandes put the ball in front of the opposing goalmouth off a free-kick.
If Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Tokotaev Erzhan thought the tall Indian defender would go for a header, he was dead wrong because Jhingan waited for the ball to land before swinging it with a deft touch to give India the lead. Not for nothing did the crowd turn the merriment into a wild one that lasted only a few minutes.
On the eve of the match, Indian coach Stimac spoke about going for all-out attacks, despite the fact that a draw would have been enough to keep the trophy at home. He certainly kept his word, as India launched a series of raids on the opposing goal whenever possible.
In the 84th minute, Davydov Nikolai brought down Naorem Mahesh Singh inside the penalty box, causing the Kyrgyz defense to crumble under pressure.
The award of the penalty kick was certainly a double delight for the home fans. Sunil Chhetri not only scored his second goal for India, but also his 85th international goal in his career. As the legend of Indian football stepped up to take the kick and then strike it to the corner of the net, the joy of the spectators knew no bounds.
While Chhetri walked back to his position calmly after doing something he has done on a regular basis for the Blue Tigers since 2006, Stimac was seen smiling broadly and hugging his assistant coach Mahesh Gawli, who was once Chhetri’s National Team teammate.
Overall, India was the deserving winner, their fifth consecutive victory on home soil. Stimac made six changes to the team that started against Myanmar, but it had no effect on their performance. India could have won by a larger margin — the Kyrgyzstan goal had a few close calls, with Chhetri and Chhangte both missing the target by a whisker.
If the main goal of hosting the tournament was to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup in January, then it was a resounding success — the Indians clearly demonstrated that they were gaining confidence ahead of the crucial continental challenge.
Source:OCN
