71-year-old Sven-Goran Eriksson won 18 trophies with various clubs in Sweden, Portugal and Italy, between 1979 and 2000, and became the first manager to win league-and-cup doubles in three countries.
A draw against Bahrain in their final group league match will be enough for India to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in the continent's showpiece event after failed attempts in 1984 and 2011.
Having endured a topsy-turvy start to their campaign before a fine turnaround, seven-time champions India start as title favourites when they take on first-time finalists Nepal in the summit clash of the SAFF Championships, in Male, on Saturday.
Chhetri scored his 62nd international goal to equal Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo's goal tally
Mumbai City FC star Sunil Chhetri wants to see more Indians start upfront for their respective teams as the Hero Indian Super League 2 nears the 100-goal mark, saying the thought of scoring the landmark goal 'sounds special'.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Sunil Chhetri scored a brace to put himself on par with Lionel Messi and lead the home side to Intercontinental Cup title triumph with a 2-0 win over Kenya in the summit clash, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's ground-breaking journey through uncharted territory reached the most important milestone as he became the first Indian footballer to play for the first team in the top-flight Europa League.
Skipper Sunil Chhetri made it a fairytale 100th international game with a double strike as India recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Kenya
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Indian football was a picture of good health with a 10-man under-20 outfit's triumph over Argentina
India warmed up nicely for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifier match against Kyrgyzstan as they outclassed lower-ranked Nepal 2-0 in an international football friendly in Mumbai on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
This is the third time the country has qualified for the continental showpiece.
Argentine legend Diego Maradona will kick off a football conclave on October 3 in the presence of a galaxy of current and former Indian stars like Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and I M Vijayan.
'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'
India stun Argentina in U-20 COTIF Cup football tourney
The 51-year-old was a member of the Croatian team that finished third in the 1998 World Cup.
Playing in Norway for top division club Stabaek has helped him grow as a footballer, feels goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh, who wants more of his countrymen to follow in his footsteps to help India rise as a power in the sport. "My aim was to play in Norway, break into the first team and play in the first team. I have grown as a player in all aspects of the game. I will try to keep getting better. Playing in Europe is better for me," said the 24-year-old goalkeeper who has been called up for the international friendly against Puerto Rico at the Andheri Sports Complex stadium in Mumbai on September 3.
The country of 1.3 billion is finally waking up to the most popular sport on the planet. Kushal Das, secretary general of the All India Football Federation, has said the country is aiming to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
All India Football Federation president Praful Patel said India must ensure that 'right steps' are taken as it targets qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Masterminded superbly by ace striker Sunil Chhetri, a dominant India scripted a sensational 4-1 win over higher-ranked Puerto Rico in an international football friendly at the Andheri Sports Complex stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
New Zealand football coach Fritz Schmid, on Tuesday, dubbed India lying somewhere between 'a sleeping giant and a rising competitor'.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Indian football team has re-entered the top-100 of the FIFA world rankings and is now placed at 99th at the latest chart released on Thursday.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (72nd minute) and Sunil Chhettri (101th) scored for India after Zubayr Amiri had given Afghanistan the lead in the 69th minute at the Greenfield Stadium.
Laggards in international rankings, India finally made their presence felt by pulling off an impressive under-17 World Cup that drew all-round praise even though the country was eliminated in the very first round.
The Comedy Pet Photography Awards are calling on pet-lovers the world over to enter snaps of their comical pets to be in the running to win a 2,000 (Rs 1.63 lakh) cash prize.
The 'sleeping giant' woke up to a new dawn with the Indian Super League putting Indian football on the global map, but the national team continued to paint a grim picture, plummeting to its worst-ever rankings in an eventful year for the sport.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Away from the cricket field, it was a year in which Sania Mirza was unarguably the biggest success story with her staggering 10 titles on the Tour -- two of them Grand Slams.
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