Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
New Delhi: Sunil Chhetri will be the man to watch at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup after claiming three individual accolades as India successfully defended their SAFF Championship crown with a 4-0 win over Afghanistan on Sunday.
Chhetri, whose preparations for the tournament were affected by a week-long trial with Scottish champions Glasgow Rangers which saw his late arrival to the venue, opened the scoring in the final with a 71st minute penalty to emerge as the competition's top scorer with seven goals, while the 27-year-old Mohun Bagan star also won the MVP and Fair Play award.
No stranger to AFC Challenge Cup heroics, Chhetri scored a hat-trick in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final, which also qualified India for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, and will be vital to coach Savio Medeira's plans next March in Nepal.
India open their 2012 AFC Challenge Cup campaign on March 9 when they face Tajikistan in a rematch of the 2008 final.