Sunil Chhetri surpasses Lionel Messi to become second highest active international goalscorer

The Blue Tigers' skipper scored a brace in his team's historic win against Thailand in the AFC Asian Cup.

Indian talisman Sunil Chhetri scored a brace against Thailand and surpassed Lionel Messi to the second position in the active International goalscorers' list.

India started their AFC Asian Cup campaign with a thumping 1-4 over Thailand and a brace from Chhetri took him to a total of 67 goals so far. The Blue Tigers were immaculate on the night as the absorbed most of the pressure from the Thais and retaliated in the second half, with a flurry of goals.

Chhetri is now the second highest active international goalscorer in the world

It all started when Ashique Kuruniyan'S intended cross from the left flank struck Thai defender Bumanthan's arm in the box and it allowed India an early breather. Sunil Chhetri stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to calmly hand India a crucial lead on the 27th minute. The War Elephants came back with a perfect set-piece goal from their captain Teerasil Dangda and both sides ended the first half on level pegging.

????????????❄️ Cool as you like from @chetrisunil11 ❄️???????????????? pic.twitter.com/FaPfb6eMlB

— #AsianCup2019 (@afcasiancup) January 7, 2019

Watch: Sunil Chhetri record-breaking goal against Thailand

The onslaught began in the second half as Udanta Singh darted past a defender from the right flank, before unleashing a stinging low cross into the final third. Kuruniyan who was in the box couldn't control the ball properly, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The ball was perfectly setup for Chhetri who came up with an emphatic hit to the right left corner of the net.

The 34-year old wasn't done yet, as he teamed up with Udanta Singh and broke through the middle on the counter, which led to India's third goal. It was the exquisite ball from Chhetri to send Udanta into space, who then allowed Anirudh Thapa to seal the move with a wonderfully chipped goal in the 68th minute.

ALSO READ

• Thailand Vs India Player Ratings: Chhetri, Kuruniyan star in historic Asian Cup win over War Elephants

• AFC Asian Cup Day 2 Recap: Jordan & India notch impressive wins as Australia fall to shock defeat

• Talking Points: Has Stephen Constantine finally found the right team to implement his tactics?

????????????@chetrisunil11 after netting a double in @IndianFootball's 4-1 win against Thailand at the #AsianCup2019 ⚽️⚽️It took his international scoring tally to 67 goals ????pic.twitter.com/oJ2Gqv0T0k

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) January 6, 2019

By adding two goals, the Indian skipper has taken his tally to 67, overtaking Lionel Messi at 65. Portugal marksman Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player who sits above Chhetri in the table with 85 goals.

The Indian skipper was delighted with the win over Thailand, but considers this a small start of something big in the sport for India.

"Considering the bigger picture, this is a good but small start. But I'll talk about just this game - it was bloody brilliant to be a part of the way my team went about things. And it's even more special knowing we made a country happy, even if it is only for a day," the 34-year-old said after the match.

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]