Sunil Chettri's late winner helps the Indian national team beat Vanuatu 1-0 and clinch one of the spots in the Intercontinental Cup 2023 final. Playing at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India entered this fixture following a 2-0 win over Mongolia.
But against their Ocenian counterparts, the Blue Tigers got off to a sluggish start peppered with countless misses. The Indian attacking line seemed to be toothless as the match ended 0-0 at half-time. With Anwar Ali rested, Mehtab Singh and Sandesh Jhingan couldn't really start attacks from deep.
India completely dominated the ball, but had struggles in the final third until it was Sunil Chehhtri's stunning volley goal which give India the 1-0 lead. A pinpoint cross by Subhasish Bose found Chhetri, who chested the ball down and smashed it straight into the roof of the net to help India win the match. Celebrating this goal, Sunil Chhetri had a special gesture as he placed the ball under his jersey to announce that he and his wife are expecting their first child.
Watch the video here:
Talking about his celebration, Sunil Chhetri spoke about how after scoring the crucial goal, he felt this celebration was the perfect way to announce such big news to the world. He said, "Me and my wife are expecting a baby, this is how she wanted me to announce - it's for her and the baby. I just hope we got all the blessings and wishes."
