India continued their dominant run in international football as they steamrolled past a higher-ranked Kyrgyzstan team in the Hero Tri-Nation Series 2023. Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chhetri found their names on the goal scoring sheets as India registered their 2nd victory in the tournament.
This was India’s 5th win in a row at home and also the 2nd consecutive clean sheet in a row. India first beat Myanmar in the Hero Tri-Nation Series 2023 and now beat a higher-ranked Kyrgyzstan outfit.
Sandesh Jhingan opened the goal scoring account for the Blue Tigers with an inch-perfect shot in the 34th minute. The entire crowd at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal went into an electrifying atmosphere and the 30,000 odd people were shouting at the top of their voices.
The experienced central defender of India didn’t use his head but used his left foot to make sure that the goal comes for Igor Stimac’s boys. India displayed top-notch intent as they kept going for a barrage of shots and the wild roar at the stadium in Imphal spoke for itself.
Sunil Chhetri then scored from the spot in the 84th minute to send the crowd into an even more loud roar. The noise in the stadium was absolutely deafening and one could barely hear anything.
This was the talismanic striker’s 85th goal in Indian colours and even at the age of 37, he is extremely consistent with his footballing prowess and his goal-scoring abilities.
Lallianzuala Chhangte was awarded the player of the tournament award for his consistent performances with the boot. India won the Hero Tri-Nation Series 2023 after they first beat Myanmar 1-0 and then beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 at home.
Notably, Anirudh Thapa had scored for India in the first game against Myanmar. This has been the perfect preparation of India ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 that will be taking place in January 2024.
Indian football team for Hero Tri-Nation Series 2023
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Phurba Lachenpa Tempa, Amrinder Singh. Sandesh Jhingan, Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Chinglensana Konsham, Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Pritam Kotal, Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Yasir Mohammad, Ritwik Das, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri (captain), Naorem Mahesh Singh
Also read: ISL 2022-23: From Golden Boot To Golden Ball, Complete List Of Award Winners In This Edition
