The Blues will look to bounce back and stay in the hunt for the first spot, though they now trail the top-placed Mohun Bagan Super Giant (36) by eight points (28), slightly undoing their impressive run in the earlier parts of the season.
Sunil Chhetri likened the national team setup with his home and expressed his relief at returning to where he belongs
Chhetri's first professional contract was with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan at a tender age of 17. It was a big challenge to overcome for a teenager and he buckled under pressure at times.
Hyderabad FC score in dying minutes to salvage 1-1 draw against EBFC
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri struck twice to lead a beleaguered India to a 3-1 win over hosts Maldives in their final league match and enter the title clasg of the SAFF Championships in Male on Wednesday.
'...there's a feeling of being indebted to the sport, to my team, that I get to do this.'
Sunil Chhetri said he would like to be remembered as 'the luckiest and most hardworking national team player'.
Sunil Chhetri became the joint second highest international goal scorer among active players along with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi
From doing double training sessions and reading books, to watching renowned broadcaster and historian Sir David Attenborough's documentary 'A Life On Our Planet', the 36-year-old has been one busy man through the last three weeks of the team's quarantine in Goa.
India football captain Sunil Chhetri believes that the country's budding soccer players should get a chance to train in European academies in order to improve their skills. The man with 72 international goals described his stint with Sporting Lisbon as a 'great experience'.
Head coach Igor Stimac believes it could be a game-changer for Indian football as India take on Kuwait in a crucial World Cup qualifier.
Sunil Chhetri scored in the 57th and 90th minutes of his 200th game for the club
Sunil Chhetri, who will complete 15 years in international football on June 12, is India's highest goal-scorer with 72 strikes from 115 matches. He is the second highest goal-scorer in international football in the world among active players behind Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine maestro Lionel Messi.
'After one week, I was told by the head coach of Sporting Lisbon 'you are not good enough, get lost to B team'
Seven-time champions India were held to a goalless draw by 205th ranked Sri Lanka despite a dominant display in their second SAFF Championships match, in Male, on Thursday.
Sunil Chhetri said the players should enjoy the tournament once they have prepared well for it.
Former hockey captain P R Sreejesh was chosen for the Padma Bhushan, while Ravichandran Ashwin was among the Padma Shri winners.
Captain Sunil Chhetri scored a brace as Bengaluru FC continued their supremacy over FC Goa with a 2-1 win in an engrossing Indian Super League encounter, in Bengaluru, on Friday. The result sees Bengaluru rise to the second spot with 19 points from 11 games, just two shy of FC Goa, who continue to top the table.
Despite having the ball possession of 60.6 per cent, the Highlanders were not able to go past the defence of the Mohammedan FC.
Sunil Chhetri, who holds the national record of most international matches and most number of goals, made it clear that retirement plans are currently not on his mind.
Sunil Chhetri scored twice during the group stage of the Asian Cup in the beginning of last year.
Indian football head coach Igor Stimac hailed Sunil Chhetri, saying the talismanic captain was one of those who "glorified" Indian football with his dedication in the 15 years of his illustrious career. The 35-year-old Chhetri on Friday became only the second Indian after legendary Bhaichung Bhutia to complete 15 years in Indian jersey.
Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri on Monday tied the knot with long-time girlfriend Sonam Bhattacharya, daughter of Mohun Bagan legend Subrata Bhattacharya, at a grand wedding ceremony in Kolkata on Monday.
Till the time I play sport, I'll train like a maniac, the Indian cricket captain tells national football skipper Sunil Chhetri in an Instagram Live chat, credits trainer Shanker Basu for his physical transformation.
The Gaurs were relentless in their attack post the 30-minute mark and their persistence eventually bore fruit when Sahil Tavora found Boris on the right flank with acres of space.
The evening was graced by the presence of Paralympic athletes Navdeep Singh and Avani Lekhara, whose inspiring achievements have brought immense pride to the nation.
'I'm a different kind of legendary. Me and Dhoni are the same kind of legends. We keep saying no, but end up playing 10 more IPLs.'
On Saturday, Chhetri posted a hilarious tweet and revealed that a fan asked him for his Netflix ID and password to pass the time during this lockdown phase. The 35-year-old footballer in a witty manner said he was really thinking to consider the demand since the user had his priorities sorted.
'If we are in the first 10, you are giving yourself a realistic chance to play against the best in Asia and then you always have the answer to how much you have to achieve more'
The India football captain said others players in the side are very much capable of outperforming him.
Chhetri is currently the highest goal-scoring active Asian player with 64 strikes from 101 matches and third in the world after superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
National coach Manolo Marquez coached FC Goa handed Bengaluru FC a comprehensive 3-0 defeat in an Indian Super League match in Goa on Saturday.
Vishal Kaith's twin saves in the tiebreaker helped defending champions Mohun Bagan make a splendid comeback from two goals down to edge star-studded Bengaluru FC 4-3 (2-2 after full-time) to reach the Durand Cup final for a record 30th time in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Talismanic Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri, on Tuesday, rated Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time but did not include Argentina among his favourite four teams to lift the World Cup in Russia.
AC Milan striker Alvaro Morata's plan to live in a quaint village on the outskirts of the city has been ditched after the mayor revealed the Spain captain was moving into the locality in a social media blooper.
India suffered one of its most embarrassing defeat in recent years despite Sunil Chhetri's 94th international goal in his 150th match.
'When the girls said they want to play football, the mothers were encouraging.' 'It was the fathers who were against the idea.'
Odisha FC delivered a magnificent performance to sweep aside Bengaluru FC 4-2 in their Indian Super League (ISL) match in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
Both teams showed urgency to find the winner but were denied, with Malaysia coming close just before the final whistle.
The 51-year-old Stimac, who was part of Croatia's 1998 World Cup squad that finished third in France, was Wednesday officially announced as head coach of the Indian team. He comes with an experience of over 18 years in coaching, structuring, and developing football with players back home and internationally.
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