Throwback: Sunil Chhetri’s hat-trick powers India past Tajikistan in 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final

India won the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008 after thrashing Tajikistan in the final.

Tajikistan remains tied to one of the most glorious chapters in the modern history of Indian Football. Now, the Indian Football Team are once again preparing to take on Tajikistan, with their CAFA Nations Cup 2025 campaign kicking off against them on August 29. As Khalid Jamil ushers in a new era for the national team, it is the perfect moment to look back at the unforgettable 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final.

India’s qualification for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, ending a 27-year wait, became possible only because of their triumph in the 8-nation AFC Challenge Cup in 2008. In that historic final, the Blue Tigers overpowered Tajikistan in front of a packed Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.

Big occasion for Bob Houghton’s India

The AFC Challenge Cup 2008 was a watershed moment for Bob Houghton as India’s head coach. All the work that he had done since taking over in 2006 was coming to fruition. India qualified for the final of the tournament with an unbeaten record.

The final was at the iconic Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi. A stadium without a huge capacity but steeped in glory. A venue that had witnessed the evolution of Indian Football and truly was the home of Indian Football. It was befitting that the Blue Tigers played such an important match at the Ambedkar Stadium.

The Blue Tigers had faced Tajikistan earlier as well. Both teams met in the group stage. That match resulted in a 1-1 draw, which suggested that both sides were equally matched and the final might go down to the wire. But the Blue Tigers had no intentions of catering to a predictable and boring script. They wanted to entertain the home crowd with an absolute masterclass of a performance.

Sunil Chhetri’s first-ever International hat-trick

The responsibility to give the Blue Tigers a solid start in the final was shouldered by a young 24-year-old Sunil Chhetri. He scored the first goal for India in the 9th minute. The fans couldn’t have asked for a more impactful start, but the captain, Bhaichung Bhutia, wanted more.

He scored a screamer on the turn with his first touch in the 18th minute, doubling the lead for the Blue Tigers and pushing the opposition to the edge.

If the master had matched the tempo, how could the apprentice stay quiet? Sunil Chhetri took the lead over his captain and scored India’s third goal, just five minutes later. Chhetri’s strike shocked the keeper as the shot came out of nowhere. The Blue Tigers were already 3-0 up in the first twenty-five minutes of the game.

The deal seemed to have been sealed, but Tajikistan were determined to fight back. Just at the stroke of half-time, Tajikistan pulled one back. Both teams went to their dressing rooms with a 3-1 scoreline at the end of the first half.

Arrival in Asia after 27 years

The team were cautious in the second half after Tajikistan had scored their first goal just before half-time. The Blue Tigers tried to keep it compact and did not allow the visitors too many opportunities to find another goal.

All the possibilities of any sort of comeback for Tajikistan were thrown out of the window by the hat-trick hero Sunil Chhetri, who scored India’s fourth goal and completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute. With this goal, the game was practically over.

The Blue Tigers went on to finish the game with the same scoreline and lifted the AFC Challenge Cup title to the unparalleled delight of Indian fans. More than the title, it was the qualification for the AFC Asian Cup after almost three decades that sent fans into a frenzy.

Bob Houghton had written his story with the Blue Tigers, a story that was based on the premise of sheer hard work, heartbreaking defeats, but a will to fight for the flag and fans.

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