Soccer-Sahal's late strike keeps India's Asian Cup hopes on track
By Michael Church
County Salt Lake Sport News
Sahal's late strike keeps India's Asian Cup hopes on track
HONG KONG : Sahal Samad's injury-time strike earned India a dramatic 2-1 victory over Afghanistan in Kolkata on Saturday that keeps the country's hopes of qualifying for next year's Asian Cup finals alive.
India beat Afghanistan 2-1 in Asian Cup Qualifiers
Sunil Chhetri and an injury-time strike from Sahal Abdul Samad powered India to a 2-1 victory over Afghanistan in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers here on Saturday. The win helped India consolidate their position in the group as they seek to make a second straight appearance in the Asian Cup and fifth overall, having been knocked out in the group stage in the last edition in 2019. Denied for 86 minutes, Chhetri put India ahead with a brilliant free-kick from just over 20 yards, taking only a couple of steps before unleashing his shot straight into the right corner of the net beating Afghanistan's goalkeeper.
Asian Cup Qualifier: India Beat Afghanistan 2-1 With Injury Time Winner
A stunning goal from talisman Sunil Chhetri and an injury-time strike from Sahal Abdul Samad powered India to a 2-1 victory over Afghanistan in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kolkata on Saturday. The win helped India consolidate their position in the group as they seek to make a second straight appearance in the Asian Cup and fifth overall, having been knocked out in the group stage in the last edition in 2019. Denied for 86 minutes, Chhetri put India ahead with a brilliant free-kick from just over 20 yards, taking only a couple of steps before unleashing his shot straight into the right corner of the net, beating Afghanistan's goalkeeper.
AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers: Focus On Sunil Chhetri As India Take On Afghanistan
Indian men's football team face Afghanistan in their second match of the third round of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on Saturday at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. The Blue Tigers who beat Cambodia in their first match on Wednesday, thanks to captain Sunil Chhetri's brace, could take a giant step towards confirming their presence in next year's AFC Asian Cup finals with a victory on Saturday. India head coach Igor Stimac sounded confident ahead of the match against Afghanistan but also showed plenty of respect to their opponent as he addressed their physical attributes during the pre-match press conference on Friday.
Sunil Chhetri Brace Sinks Cambodia as India Begin Asian Cup Qualifiers With Win
Sunil Chhetri was once again the man of the moment as he struck a brace to inspire India to a 2-0 win over Cambodia in their opening match of the Asian Cup qualifying final round match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday. The Igor Stimac's side were far from their best and failed to make use of their better possession against a weak side but the 37-year-old returned Chhetri from an injury layoff to score on either side of the break (13th and 59th minute). The double strike brought him back to the third place in the list of highest scorers among active footballers in the world. With 82 goals from 127 matches, Chhetri now sits behind Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (117) and Argentine virtuoso Lionel Messi (86).
Sunil Chhetri brace sinks Cambodia as Indian team begins Asian Cup qualifiers campaign with a win
Sunil Chhetri was once again the man of the moment as he struck a brace to inspire India to a 2-0 win over Cambodia in their opening match of the Asian Cup qualifying final round match at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Wednesday. Igor Stimac's side were far from their best and failed to make use of their better possession against a weak side but the 37-year-old returned Chhetri from an injury layoff to score on either side of the break (13th and 59th minute). The double strike brought him back to the third place in the list of highest scorers among active footballers in the world. With 82 goals from 127 matches, Chhetri now sits behind Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (117) and Argentine virtuoso Lionel Messi (86). Following a tense start that saw their star centre-back Sandesh Jhingan earn a third minute yellow card for arguing with the referee, Chhetri settled the nerves converting a 14th minute penalty in a calm-headed way.
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