Skipper Sunil Chhetri will get a chance to bolster his tally of 80 international goals as the Indian team gears up to steamroll 171st ranked Cambodia on Wednesday (June 8) in their bid to make a fifth appearance in AFC Cup tournament proper. Cristiano Ronaldo (117 goals from 188 games), Lionel Messi (86 from 162 games) have been on a scoring spree and no wonder at his level, the Indian talisman would like to ride the roughshod over Cambodia, Afghanistan (150th) and Hong Kong (147th).
While no one is comparing the international levels at which they operate, briefly surpassing Lionel Messi won't be a bad feeling for the 37-year-old. With the next Asian Cup slated in late 2023 or early 2024 after the pull-out of China, Chhetri, who will complete 17 years in international football, might see this tournament as the ‘final frontier’ in his illustrious career.
MATCHDAY
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 8, 2022
The #BlueTigers take on Cambodia in the first #AsianCup2023 Qualifier today
[?] 8.30 PM IST
VYBK
@StarSportsIndia & @DisneyPlusHS & @OfficialJioTV#INDCAM [?] #BackTheBlue #BlueTigers #IndianFootball [?] pic.twitter.com/ixtMGtbSVu
“I want to qualify. If I’m not there, my country will be there. So either I’ll be having a beer and watching Udanta sprint, or you having a beer and I'll be sprinting there. But we want to be there,” Chhetri made his intention clear ahead of his 126th international appearance.
This is a tournament which gives India the best chance to qualify for the Continental trophy without much fuss but if there is a slip-up against lowly-ranked nation, Chhetri or coach Igor Stimac will have little room for justification. The Blue Tigers under Stimac did not have a perfect build-up to the continental showpiece, having lost all their three International friendlies arranged in the lead-up to the qualifiers.
Check out all the details of when and where to watch the Asian Cup Qualifier between India and Cambodia…
India vs Cambodia Asian Cup Qualifier match will be played at VYBK Stadium, Kolkata.
India vs Cambodia Asian Cup Qualifier match will begin at 8.30PM IST, Wednesday (June 8).
India vs Cambodia Asian Cup Qualifier match will be live telecast on Star Sports Network in India.
The India vs Cambodia Asian Cup Qualifier match live telecast will be available online on Disney+ Hotstar website and app.
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