Sunil Chhetri stands third among active international goalscorers
New Delhi, June 2: Indian football team skipper Sunil Chhetri scored a stunner of a hat-trick at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday evening against Chinese Taipei 5-0 in the opener of the four-nation Intercontinental Cup. Chhetri struck the 14th, 34th and 62nd minute to once again etch his name on record books.
With his third international hat-trick, Chhetri jumped to the third spot on the list of active international goalscorers.
Chhetri opened the scoresheet for the confident Indian side with a wonderful assist by Jeje. 20 minutes later, he repeated the feat, after a fine display of one-touch passing between Chhetri Jeje and Anirudh Thapa at the edge of the box.
17 minutes into the second half, Udanta Singh netted the third goal for India, before Chhetri completed his hat-trick with a stunning shot into the top corner of the net.
Chhetri now has 59 international goals from 98 matches since his debut for India in 2005. His hat-trick helped him equal David Villa's goal tally who has also played the same number of games for his country Spain. The Indian captain now stands third on the list of active international goalscorers, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (81 goals from 149 matches) and Lionel Messi (64 from 124 matches).
Adding to it, as per goals-per-match ratio, Chhetri stands ahead of the two stalwarts with his mark of 0.60 as compared to Ronaldo's 0.54 and Messi's 0.52. Although, Brazil's Neymar (0.65) and Maldives' Ali Ashfaq (0.66) stand above the Indian.
"Good feeling to get the hat-trick but tonight was all about getting a win and the aim here is UAE 2019. Fortunate to play with great teammates, got some great passes today, was just in the right position to finish," said Chhetri during the post-match presentation. India will next play Kenya on June 4.
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Speaker UT Khader attends local cricket tournament during Bhatkal visit
Bhatkal: Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly U. T. Khader visited Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday and attended a local cricket match being played as part of a tournament organised by the Cosmos Sports Centre of Bhatkal.
After attending a programme at Anjuman Hami-E-Muslimeen, Khader proceeded to the Bhatkal Taluka Stadium, where the tournament is underway. He was accompanied by office-bearers of the Cosmos Sports Centre and several local community leaders.
Those present during the visit included President of Majlis-e-Islah Wa Tanzeem and former JD(S) leader Inayathullah Shabandri, Vice President of Tanzeem Atiqur Rahman Muniri, General Secretary Abdul Raqeeb MJ, President of Cosmos Sports Centre Ismail Anjum, Managing Director of Mohtisham Complexes S. M. Arshad, former president of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation Imtiyaz Udyawar, among others.
Addressing players and organisers, Khader extended his best wishes to the participating teams and urged the players to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship. He said such tournaments help promote unity and brotherhood among the youth.
The cricket tournament began on November 21 and will conclude with the final match on December 21. It is being organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Cosmos Sports Centre.
Cosmos Sports Centre is one of the member clubs of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation and is known for its active role in promoting sports in the town. Apart from sporting activities, the centre is also involved in various social and community initiatives, including efforts to promote education among students.
