India vs Kyrgyzstan: Sunil Chhetri scores 85th goal as Blue Tigers win 2-0 against World No. 94

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India post their biggest win of 2023 as they defeated World No. 94 Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in a friendly as Sunil Chhetri scored his 85th international goal at Imphal's Khuman Lampak Stadium on Tuesday. The win also helped India win the Hero Tri-Nation Friendly Football Tournament as they defeated also defeated Myanmar 1-0 last week.

In a match that saw the national team dominate proceeding against a stronger outfit, Igor Stimac-coached side never allowed Kyrgyzstan to breathe easy in the game. The first goal came in the 34th minute from centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, who headed Brandon Fernandes's set-piece into the goal in front of 30,000-capacity crowd.

As Brandon Fernandes put the ball in style in front of the rival goalmouth off a free-kick, Jhingan pounced on it like a panther to find the back of the net. If the Kyrgyz Republic goalkeeper Tokotaev Erzhan had an inkling that the tall Indian defender would go for a header, then he was terribly wrong as Jhingan waited for the ball to land and then swung it with a deft touch to give India the lead. Chhetri then sealed the game from the spot in the 83rd minute.

India earlier began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Myanmar and a rather emphatic scoreline against the Kyrgyz Republic on Tuesday put them in the enviable position of finishing the tournament with six points from two encounters.

Indian coach Igor Stimac, on the eve of the match, spoke about going for all-out attacks despite the fact that a draw would have been enough to keep the trophy home. He certainly kept his word as India launched a series of raids on the opposition goal whenever they had the opportunity. One such attack in the 84th minute saw the Kyrgyz Republic defence crumble under pressure as Naorem Mahesh Singh was brought down inside the penalty box by Davydov Nikolai.

The award of the spot kick certainly came as a matter of double delight for the home fans. It wasn't only the second goal for India, but also the 85th international strike in his career for the Indian captain Sunil Chhetri. 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 coolly walked back to his position after doing something that he has been doing regularly for the Blue Tigers since 2006, Stimac was spotted having a broad smile on his face and hugging his assistant coach Mahesh Gawli, who once was Chhetri's teammate in the National Team.

Overall, India were the deserving winners, their fifth straight win on home turf. Stimac made six changes from the team that started against Myanmar, but it didn't at all break their rhythm. In fact, India could have won by a bigger margin - the Kyrgyz Republic goal had a few close shaves as a couple of attempts from Chhetri and Chhangte missed the target by a whisker.

If preparations for the AFC Asian Cup in January next was the chief purpose of hosting the tournament, then it was definitely a success - the Indians clearly displayed that they were growing in confidence before they take up the all-important continental challenge.