Sunil Chhetri is currently the second highest active goalscorer in international football after Cristiano Ronaldo...
Sunil Chhetri scored a brace against Bangladesh on June 7 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha to ensure a 2-0 win for India in a 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers.
This was India's maiden win in the ongoing 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers.
The talismanic Indian striker scored his 73rd and 74th international goals in the second half of the game and in the process went past UAE’s Ali Mabkhout who has 73 goals and Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi who has 72 goals to their names.
The only player who has scored more international goals than Chhetri is Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo (103) among active players.
As the 36-year-old Indian star scripted yet another record in his illustrious and long international career, we scrutinise Chhetri's 74 international goals.
The most number of goals, the forward has scored against are Chinese Taipei and Maldives (six goals each). His best conversion rate is against Vietnam as he scored a hat-trick in the only game he played against them.
The toughest opponent the Indian striker has scored a goal against is Asian giants South Korea against whom he had scored in the Asian Cup 2011 in Doha. Chhetri's goal had put the Blue Tigers in front but South Korea eventually won 4-1.
Distribution of Sunil Chhetri's 74 international goals
| Opponent | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Taipei | 6 | 5 |
| Maldives | 6 | 5 |
| Nepal | 5 | 8 |
| Bangladesh | 5 | 4 |
| Tajikistan | 5 | 5 |
| Kenya | 4 | 2 |
| Cambodia | 3 | 2 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 3 | 3 |
| Myanmar | 3 | 4 |
| Bhutan | 3 | 2 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 6 |
| Vietnam | 3 | 1 |
| Guam | 3 | 3 |
| Syria | 2 | 6 |
| Lebanon | 2 | 3 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 3 |
| Oman | 2 | 5 |
| Thailand | 2 | 3 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 3 |
| Bahrain | 1 | 2 |
| South Korea | 1 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 6 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 1 |
| Philippines | 1 | 2 |
| Palestine | 1 | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1 |
| Macao | 1 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 |
| Curacao | 1 | 1 |
| DPR Korea | 1 | 2 |
How are India doing in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers?
India started their World Cup qualification run with a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Oman at home, followed by a historic goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha. In their third and fourth matches, the Blue Tigers managed 1-1 draws against both Bangladesh and Afghanistan and then they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Oman away from home. How are India doing in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers?
They resumed their campaign losing 0-1 Qatar on June 3 and have now beaten Bangladesh 2-0 in their seventh match of the group stage. In their final match, the Blue Tigers take on Afghanistan on June 15. All the matches of India's group are hosted by Qatar.