India beat Bangladesh 2-0 after Sunil Chhetri brace

Doha, Jun 08 (PTI): Talisman Sunil Chhetri handed India their first win in six years in FIFA World Cup qualifiers as his brace downed Bangladesh 2-0 in their preliminary round match here on Monday night
Chhetri broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when he headed in Ashique Kuruniyan’s cross from the left. He then sealed the result by curling in a shot from long range in added time. Starting the match on the bench, second-half substitute Ashique delivered a cross from the left for Chhetri, who, after a bursting run and from an acute angle, headed in brilliantly from behind Topu Barman, at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
It was that man Chhetri again as he rounded off his night with another fine strike in extra time (90+2) after receiving the ball from Suresh Singh from the right flank. The double strikes meant India registered their first win in what was turning out to be one of their worst World Cup qualifying campaigns in many years. It was also their first victory in World Cup qualifiers away from home in 20 years. Their last victory in World Cup qualifiers was a 1-0 result against Guam in November 2015 in Bengaluru. India are already out of contention for a berth in next year’s World Cup but remain in the reckoning for a place in the 2023 Asian Cup.
A confident India found themselves pressing in the opposition half after Chhetri’s 73rd goal in international football and the move worked for beleaguered coach Igor Stimac as the captain scored his and the team’s second just before the final whistle.
Despite being ahead, India looked to add to their tally with both Ashique and Chhetri linking up well, even as most of the Bangladesh players moved up in search of an equaliser.
In the end, the equaliser did not materialise but India surely ended on a high, giving their campaign the much-needed boost after a series of winless outings.
With his two goals, Chhetri, international football’s second highest scorer among active players, more than made up for the fumble in the 63rd minute when the unmarked captain missed a free header after a fine ball from Brandon Fernandes.
Courtesy the result, India moved to six points from seven matches, while Bangladesh are at two points seven matches. India next play Afghanistan in their last group league match on June 15.