In the third and last game of the Tri-Nation International Football Tournament, hosts India and Kyrgyz Republic will battle it out for the trophy at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Tuesday. Two decades in Indian football and 84 goals for the Blue Tigers Yet this is the first time that Blue Tigers legend Sunil Chhetri is playing a competitive match in Manipur, and his hunger to score for India is as high as it has ever been.
The mercurial striker, after joining the National Camp just a day after the ISL final, was on song for India in the first Tri-Nation International Football Tournament match against Myanmar at the Khuman Lampak Stadium last week. Despite several efforts, a disallowed goal that left many questioning the off-side call on the India captain was all he had to show for it.
“My hunger to score is the same as it has always been, and it will be the same against the Kyrgyz Republic. Off-sides and penalty decisions are a part of the game, and you think about them for a certain amount of time, but then you move on and look forward to the next match. What you’d rather do is minimise mistakes and move on,” said Chhetri to the-aiff.com.
India are currently sitting at the top of the table in the Tri-Nation International Football Tournament after a 1-0 win against Myanmar. They are followed by the Kyrgyz Republic and Myanmar, who played out a 1-1 draw in their second match. However, Chhetri warned against complacency against the opponents on Tuesday.