Sunil Chhetri hat-trick floors Pakistan

Fights, pitch invaders, fans braving incessant rain and hurling water bottles... An India-Pakistan clash -- be it any sport at any level -- without the accompanying drama is incomplete.

Amidst all this spectacle, India sailed to a 4-0 win over Pakistan to begin their campaign on a high in the SAFF Championship at the Sree Kanteerava stadium on Wednesday.

With the banner ‘immortal no. 11’ (Chhetri’s jersey number) gracing the stands, the game and the night belonged to Sunil Chhetri at a place he calls home. The Indian captain, feeding off fans’ energy scored a hat-trick to take his international goal tally to 90.

It all began when Pakistan goalkeeper Saqib Hanif’s casual kick off a pass was capitalised by a charging Chhetri to slot in the opening goal in the 10th minute.

An out-of-sorts Pakistan made things easier for the hosts when their captain Easah Suliman handled the ball giving his Indian counterpart a penalty. Chhetri found the left corner of the goal for his and the team’s second goal in the 16th minute.

Just when it looked smooth-sailing for the hosts, Indian coach Igor Stimac and Pakistan’s Abdullah Iqbal got into a skirmish that attracted players and staff from both sides. Stimac was shown a red card, forcing him to leave the ground.

After an exciting first half, that saw first of the three pitch invaders hoping to get closer to Chhetri, the second half saw India upping the ante on a slowing opposition.

A few missed opportunities later, it was Chhetri again who was awarded another penalty that he successfully converted in the 74th minute.

With the intensity of the rain complementing the atmosphere at the stadium, incoming substitute Udanta Singh added his name to the goal scorers list by running down to tap India’s fourth and final goal in the 81st minute.

Another bright spot in the night for India was Lallianzuala Chhangte, who is coming in after making a mark during the team’s win at the Intercontinental Cup a few days ago. Creating chances for his team-mates and having a go at the goal a few times himself, the Mizoram player attested why he is one of the most promising players in the country currently.

Earlier in the day, El Ebrahim, Al Khadi and MA Daham netted one goal apiece in Kuwait’s 3-1 win over Nepal in the other Group A match.