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.
